A Chosen Honor
by UnknownBlackHand
Summary: PRAISED STORY! How would the series have changed if Zuko had joined Team Avatar much sooner? After hearing what the Avatar achieved at the North Pole, and hearing others' experiences with the Fire Nation, Zuko has a change of heart and decides to choose his own path to redeem his honor. A must-read for Zuko fans! (Show's plot completed)
1. Chapter 1: After the Siege

**I: After the Siege**

Zuko and Iroh landed their raft at the coast of the Earth Kingdom, somewhere up in the north. There they sought out shelter in a hole in a cliff and slept there for the night with a campfire going. However, the next morning, Iroh awoke to the sound of Zuko coughing. Looking over to the young prince he saw him shivering under his blankets, and so gave him his own.

"Rest, Zuko, rest, I'm going to find a few things to help you feel more comfortable." Iroh told him. He got to his feet and headed out, and returned about an hour later with a beat up teapot, a pair of cups, and some ingredients. Of course he was going to make some tea to help Zuko; and as it was brewing, Zuko asked: "How did the battle end?"

"Admiral Zhao met his demise after the Avatar teamed up with the Ocean Spirit and drove the whole Fire Nation fleet away from the Northern Water Tribe."

"He did that all by himself? Ugh, that must be some power." Zuko replied, and then coughed a few times.

"Yes, the Avatar is a very powerful bender, and it seems that his friend is one too… Here, drink up, Prince Zuko, this will help to calm your mind and that fever."

Zuko drank, but his face held a level of sadness.

"What's on your mind?" Iroh asked.

"The Avatar, my honor…"

"Zuko, rest now. Perhaps tomorrow you'll be ready to set out again." Iroh told him. He coughed a few more times, but managed to ease into sleep.

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Zuko recovered fairly quickly and they found a place where they could find some rejuvenation. Iroh got a nice massage, while Zuko sat down off to himself, practically alone with his thoughts.

"It's the anniversary of your banishment, isn't it?" Iroh spoke.

"Three years…" Zuko trailed off. He wanted his throne and his honor back, but knowing the power of the Avatar, he was wondering if there was any hope at all.

As if luck was on his side, they soon happened upon a chance meeting with Princess Azula, Zuko's younger sister. She came to them saying that their father wanted them back, because family was suddenly important to him, and that he regretted banishing Zuko.

Zuko fell for her trap, and was about to board her ship with Iroh following after him. However, thanks to the slip of the helmsman's tongue, they found out that it was a trap! They were to be taken home as prisoners! Through a vicious fight, and Iroh throwing Azula off of the ship, they managed to escape them, now knowing that they were to become fugitives of the Fire Nation. So they when they caught a break from running they severed their Fire Nation hair ties.

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As time went by, Zuko and Iroh went from place to place, they begged for food, slept in camps, and sometimes relied on the general hospitality of others. When Iroh confused a poisonous plant for an herb for making a delectable and rare tea, they ended up going to see some healers to cure the poison. The young lady who treated Iroh invited them over to their house for a meal of roast duck, to which Iroh joyfully accepted.

They adopted false names at this time, Zuko named himself Lee and his uncle Mushi, Iroh wasn't too proud to bear that name and so he retaliated by saying: "Yes, Lee was named after his father, so we just call him 'Junior'."

After dinner, Zuko took a moment to step outside, where the young lady followed him out, she noted that the Fire Nation had hurt him, and she showed that the Fire Nation had hurt her too, revealing a burn scar on her leg and told him not to lose hope, for the Avatar had returned.

When they left, they resorted to stealing their horse-ostrich, and while living off of campsites and change from begging, Zuko stooped to thievery for food, money, and a few small luxuries that included a golden teapot he took just to give to his uncle, but even his thefts couldn't satisfy them, and so he decided to leave his uncle and try and figure things out for himself.

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He ended up in an isolated town, where bullies ran the law, they were essentially glorified thieves that were supposed to keep the peace, but instead they were just thugs. Zuko found a place for himself watching over a small family that had their eldest son leave to fight in the war, his health and whereabouts were questionable.

Zuko formed a bond with the younger son, and gave him a knife that Iroh gave him, the blade engraved with "Never Give Up Without A Fight". However the next morning, the boy had another confrontation with the bullies and he retaliated using the knife. His worried mother ran to Zuko and told him that they said that if had enough in him to fight them with a knife, then he can fight in the Earth Kingdom army. Well, Zuko dealt with them, but in the process he used his Firebending and revealed that he was the Fire Prince. During the fight he reclaimed Iroh's knife and tied to give it back to the boy, but he refused it saying that he hated Zuko.

As he rode off, he thought about his latest experiences. All his life he was told that the war was his nation's way of spreading their greatness, but all over the world the people hated them, and wasn't it the Avatar's destiny to restore peace and so end the war? So, if he was supposed to make a difference in the world, what way would truly be the most honorable?

He continued riding off, and then came upon a set of tracks made by a Fire Nation tank, only one tank so it couldn't be for battle, could it be Azula? He decided to follow after it.

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 **Okay, so for this introduction, I just wanted to give a sense of Zuko mulling things over, a point in time, and a place. The second chapter will start up towards the climax of 'The Chase' episode and that's where the story will really kick off.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Choice

**II: The Choice**

As luck would have it the trail not only led to Azula, but the Avatar too.

"Do you really want to fight me?" Azula asked the Avatar.

Zuko rode in, hopped off of the horse-ostrich, and told her: "Yes, I really do."

"Zuko!" The Avatar exclaimed in a hushed voice, the young boy was not only under threat, but on top of it he was exhausted after having dealt with Azula the whole night before and his Waterbending and Earthbending masters having a row with each other.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up Zuzu." Azula stated, the Avatar sniggered at the nickname.

"Back off, Azula, he's mine!" Zuko snapped, assuming a stance between her and the Avatar.

"I'm not going anywhere." She replied, assuming a stance herself.

Things stood quietly for a moment, until Azula made the first strike, with Zuko taking her attack. As they fought, it turned out that both boys were more against Azula than they were on each other. After that first strike, Avatar Aang tried to take off on his glider, but he had to get down to evade anther attack from Azula, by using his staff to dissipate her blue flames.

Aang ran into a building, Azula in pursuit, she almost fell off of a ledge while he was floating in the air on his air scooter, she caught herself and then Zuko entered, only to fall off of the ledge like a doofus. A moment after Aang escaped the building, Azula had blown Zuko out of the door, and he was out of it for the moment.

Aang tried to evade Azula by leaping up between buildings; only Azula collapsed one on him. Buried under rubble, Aang was far from being in the position to fight back. To his luck, Katara had found them, lashed at Azula, and freed Aang. So Azula turned to attack Katara, but Sokka blocked her.

Zuko woke up to find Iroh looking down at him.

"Uncle!"

"Get up!" He ordered.

While Azula faced the Avatar and the Water Tribe siblings, Toph made her entrance by knocking Azula off of her feet, saying: "I thought you guys could use a little help."

Everyone had now teamed up against Azula, and had managed to corner her.

"Well look at this, enemies and traitors, all working together. I'm done, I know when I'm beaten, you got me. A princess surrenders with honor!" Azula stated, she put her arms up in surrender, but nobody let their guard down, and so she struck Iroh in the chest with a blast and knocked him down. Zuko cried out while the others fought back, only for Azula to escape with an explosion.

The others turned to find Zuko on his knees at Iroh's side. Looking over his shoulder, he saw them looking at him.

"Get away!" He snapped.

"Zuko, I can help him." Katara spoke. Zuko looked between her and his uncle, he looked to be in a fair amount of pain and he hated to see him suffer. He locked eyes with Katara again, held in his rage, and then he stepped away from Iroh to give Katara some space. She used her bending water to treat Iroh's wound and told Zuko: "He'll still need some time to recover. You may want to find shelter for him."

Zuko looked to the flames on the buildings and dissipated them, and he found the most intact one to stay in. He managed to hoist Iroh up, an arm across his shoulders, and Sokka decided to do the same for the other arm. They sat Iroh down inside while Zuko set up a bedroll so he could lie down.

"Well, if everything's settled, then we better be on our way!" Sokka announced.

"Wait!" Zuko called out.

The others looked at him for a moment in silence, until Sokka spoke: "Listen, Zuko, no offense, but we have places to go, and frankly we'd like to put as much space between us and you as we possibly can."

"Listen, I've been thinking things over lately, and I've decided that I'm going to stop hunting you… In fact, if anything, I'd wish to join your group."

"You _what_ now?" Sokka questioned.

"Would you mind sitting down for a while? I'll explain myself to you."

They all sat inside the building and Zuko spoke: "I've been through a lot for the past few years, but where would you like me to start?"

"I'd like to know why you were after me in the first place. I understand why the Fire Nation is after me, but why are you?" Aang replied.

"Well, that's the very beginning… I went into my father's war room one day… I was aspiring to become the next Fire Lord and I wanted to go in to learn how to lead my people. However, what I found out was a terrible plot that used a unit of new recruits as a mere distraction in an invading attack. While the Earth Kingdom was supposed to just slaughter the new recruits, another unit was to take the Earth Kingdom from the back. I objected to this plan, saying that we can't just sacrifice patriotic citizens like that, and not only did I voice my objections, I spoke out of term. With that, I had challenged the General in my father's presence, and when something like that happens we settle matters with an Agni Kai, a duel between Firebenders. I felt that I could take the General, so I accepted the challenge, only to find out that I was supposed to fight my father. Being a loyal son, I refused to fight him, asked for forgiveness, and he said that I had shown cowardice, weakness, and disrespect and he left me this scar… As a result of it all, he stripped me of my honor, my birthright, and sent me into exile, my only hope of things going back to normal was if I had captured the Avatar."

They were taken aback by his story.

"I can tell that he's being truthful." Toph stated.

"That explains why you're so persistent, but now, why would you want to join us?" Sokka asked Zuko.

"I've seen how others see the Fire Nation… and I want to put an end to their hatred of us. We may be the bad guys in this war, but we have great strengths in innovation."

"Any other reasons?" Katara asked.

"Can you imagine a world where my sister, Azula, is Fire Lord? I would hope that after the war, either my Uncle Iroh or I would take my father's place. You, Avatar, you know I have good in me, do you think that you could accept me?" Zuko replied.

"Aang, what's he talking about?" Katara asked.

"Remember when you guys got sick after that storm, and I got captured by Zhao?"

"Yeah, you made us suck on frozen frogs! I swear I had a wart on my throatal-flap for a month!" Sokka exclaimed.

"So that's what those were for." Zuko spoke, the others gave him a look.

"Well it was Zuko who helped to break me out, and I even asked him if it was possible that we could be friends if it weren't for the war." Aang told them.

"I say we let him join then, at some point Aang will need to learn Firebending, and where else are we going to find skilled Firebenders that aren't out to get us?" Toph said.

"Sokka, Katara, do you think that we should give him the chance?" Aang asked.

The siblings looked at each other and Sokka replied: "I think that it's going to take some time for us to trust him, but from the sound of things, he and his uncle could prove useful."

"Thank you." Zuko stated. He then got up and found his uncle's teapot and some herbs, and did what he could to prepare a pot of tea for when Iroh woke up. While he prepped it, he caught up on everybody's names, and learned that the newcomer to the group was to be Aang's Earthbending teacher.

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Iroh woke up to find Zuko looking down at him.

"Uncle, you were unconscious… Azula did this to you, it was a surprise attack."

"Somehow that's not so surprising." Iroh replied; he sat up and saw that the Avatar and his friends were sitting in the room, calmly, quietly, and unbound, as if they were fine being there: "Now _this_ is a surprise! Zuko, what's going on?"

"In my time away from you I've done a lot of thinking, and after Azula struck you, Katara offered to heal your wound, and I let her. I then told them that I've decided to stop hunting them and instead join them." Zuko replied as he gave his uncle a cup of tea… or at least tried to. After hearing that, Iroh threw his arms around Zuko into an embrace with a proud smile.

Zuko grunted at the impact of the hug and Iroh told him: "I'm so proud of you! You've chosen a path to restore your own honor yourself!"

"Thanks, Uncle, now listen, if we're going to be facing Azula, I'm going to need to learn some more advanced Firebending… I know what you're going to say, she's my sister and I should get along with her."

"No, she's crazy and she needs to be put down; and now that you're joining the Avatar, we should resume your training as soon as we can. Captuing the Avatar has been your drive for so long that it is connected to your strength in Firebending, Now that your drive has changed, it is possible that you'll lose sight of your inner fire… If that happens, there's no need to fret, Prince Zuko, you'll just have to find a new drive." Iroh replied.

They drank Zuko's tea, which tasted foul but did seem to have a relaxing element to it, and they took off on Appa. After everything they've been through, the first thing they did was take a rejuvenating nap.

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 **Now the story has officially begun! I hope you're excited!**

 **Now, I love reviews and they are my driving force. They may make me update faster.**


	3. Chapter 3: Bitter Work BONUS CONTENT!

**III: Bitter Work**

 **This chapter contains bonus content at the end from the comic 'Divided We Fall', you can find it on YouTube when you search for ATLA Lost Adventures Earth.**

As the Firebenders woke with the dawn, Aang woke up full of excitement the next day since it was going to be when he started his Earthbending training. Toph blew up her rock tent saying: "Good morning Earthbending student!"

"Good morning Sifu Toph!" Aang replied.

"Hey, you never called me 'Sifu Katara'."

Sokka grumbled from his sleeping bag.

"Sorry, Sokka, we'll do our Earthbending as quietly as possible." Toph stated, only to drive her heel into the ground and launch him into the air screaming. He landed hard to bounce around in his sleeping bag snarling gibberish at Aang and Toph before hopping off to sit on a ledge.

"Prince Zuko, we should give them their space, and we should resume your training. As I've told you earlier, with this change of heart, it's possible that you've lost sight of your inner fire." Iroh stated.

"In a moment, Uncle, I'd like to watch them for a while." Zuko replied, he sat beside Sokka as Toph demonstrated a simple technique for simply moving a rock. A moment before Aang was supposed to give the move a try, Iroh sat down next to Zuko.

Aang practiced the move, but instead of the rock moving, Aang had launched himself backwards until he crashed into Appa.

"Rock beats Airbender!" Sokka joked. Zuko gave a light chuckle and added: "I've chased him across the world and all I needed to beat him was a rock!"

"This will be the Avatar's most challenging element to learn. It is his natural opposite." Iroh stated.

Sokka peeled off his sleeping bag and collected his club and started heading off.

"Where are you off to young warrior?" Iroh asked him.

"While everyone's going to practice their bending, I'm going to see if I can catch something for us to eat."

"Well best of luck to you then! Come, Prince Zuko, we should begin training." Iroh stated, taking his nephew away to a spot well away from the others.

"Alright, I want to see a basic form first… Begin!" Iroh told him. Zuko was conscious of his breathing and gave a series of kicks and punches, only to realize that he was wielding only half of his original power!

"What's going on?! I'm bending as I was when I was six!" Zuko exclaimed.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be. I was expecting that you might just have a little 'poof'. Sit and meditate, Prince Zuko, focus on your breathing and find your new drive. Once you focus your energy on something new and strive to meet a new goal, your Firebending will return to its full strength." Iroh told him.

Zuko sat down and focused on his breathing, calming his mind. Iroh let him sit for some time, before asking him: "Now, Prince Zuko, what is your goal?"

"To assist the Avatar in ending this war, to put Azula in her rightful place, and to restore honor to both myself and the Fire Nation." Zuko replied calmly.

"Now, rise, and show me your basic form again." Iroh told him.

Zuko repeated the form, but at the finishing punch, he released more fire than he had intended.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed.

"It appears that your drive now is stronger than it was before and you've discovered new strength. Well done, Prince Zuko, but with this new strength, there comes greater responsibility." Iroh told him. He introduced him to more advanced forms, and then Iroh decided to teach him a trick that he learned from the Waterbenders in redirecting lightning, but when it came to bending lightning, Zuko couldn't handle it apparently he was still dealing with inner turmoil. Soon after the training, without Iroh's noticing, Zuko was starting to get a fever.

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Since they stopped training at sunset, Aang ran past Zuko and Iroh, only to stop and turn to ask if they had seen Sokka.

"Sorry, Aang, but we haven't seen him." Zuko replied. Aang continued his search using his glider until he found Sokka stuck in a hole with a little saber-tooth-moose-lion cub. The mother came and attacked, but Aang managed to protect Sokka from her by facing her head-on. Toph watched on without either Sokka or Aang noticing her until they heard her clapping. Aang also stood up to Toph to reclaim his staff, and found the stuff it took to finally be an Earthbender and was able to move rocks! However, she pulled Sokka out of the hole.

"You found him!" Katara exclaimed. She embraced her brother, and praised Aang when he demonstrated that he finally got some Earthbending down!

Zuko and Iroh returned to the campsite a little while later.

"How've you done young Avatar and warrior?" Iroh asked.

"I didn't catch anything." Sokka said solemnly

"I've managed some basic moves now!" Aang announced proudly.

"Well done, young Avatar!" Iroh praised.

"So, Zuko, how was Firebending training?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, did you 'lose sight of your inner fire' as your uncle put it?" Sokka asked.

"I did for a moment, but after some meditation, I found a new drive, and now my Firebending's stronger than before." Zuko replied.

"Can we see one of your forms?" Aang asked.

"Haven't you seen several already?" Zuko asked, in reference to the Firebending attacks they've witnessed.

"Yes, but I'm usually a little busy evading them, so I couldn't take any notes." Aang told him. Zuko stood up and performed some more intermediate techniques, stunts that required jumps and stylized kicks, and Zuko wasn't kidding, his fire did appear to be stronger, as if he had broadened his range.

After his performance, he got a small dizzy spell, and he felt as if he was sweating a little more than he should have. He sat back down, and Katara prepared a stew out of whatever herbs and produce they had. It wasn't the best thing they've ever eaten, but it at least satisfied their hunger. After that, Iroh prepared a pot of tea to share with everyone.

"Aang, can I ask you something?" Zuko asked.

"I suppose." He replied.

"How was it that you've managed to stay hidden from the world for 100 years?"

"Zuko, that's not a story that Aang's comfortable to tell." Katara told him.

"I think he has a right to know, Katara, as may Toph… I was told that I was the Avatar when I was too young, as the monks put it, but they foresaw troubled times ahead and so they told me before I was sixteen. Everybody started treating me differently, my friends wouldn't play with me, saying that having me on their team may provide an unfair advantage, and then I overheard the monks telling my friend, Monk Gyatso, that they were going to take me away from him to pursue my training, his argument was that I needed tome to just be a kid, but the other monks wouldn't have it that way. I was about to have everything I had and everyone I loved taken away from me, so I ran away on Appa. We got caught up in a storm and swallowed up in the ocean towards the South Pole. I entered the Avatar State and froze us in an iceberg. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in Katara's arms."

"That iceberg was hidden deep below the water's surface, and I managed to bring it up by accidentally Waterbending it out while I was yelling at my brother." Katara added.

"So, Aang was about to have everything taken from him, and ran away; while Zuko had everything taken from him and was forced to go away… That's quite the parallel connection you two have." Toph stated. Aang and Zuko exchanged glances.

"That's not their only connection." Iroh stated.

"What do you mean, Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"I'll tell you all a story about Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin." Iroh told them. The kids sat up in anticipation as Iroh told the story:

 _Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku grew up together as best friends. They've shared a lot of things, including a birthday. On their sixteenth birthday the Fire Sages arrived to announce the identity of the Avatar, that being was Roku. Already a talented Firebender, he soon had to leave to pursue his destiny as the Avatar and master the other three elements. Sozin went to see Roku and found that he couldn't take any worldly possessions, but Sozin gave him a parting gift: a family relic meant to be worn by the crown prince._

 _Over twelve years had passed before Roku and Sozin would meet again, Roku had learned Airbending at the Southern Air Temple, at that time he may've met and befriended Monk Gyatso, and then he learned to master water and fire. Not too long after Roku had returned, he married the woman he loved, and Sozin was the best man at his wedding. During the wedding dinner, Sozin proposed the idea of expanding his empire, to spread its wealth and prosperity, but Roku refused to assist him, and told him to abandon this idea, saying that the four nations were to be as they were._

 _Years had passed, both of them had managed to have families, and Sozin went through with his idea and managed to establish a colony on Earth Kingdom territory. They were enraged with each other, and dueled, but out of their past friendship, Avatar Roku spared Sozin. They didn't see or speak to each other for another twenty-five years, until the volcano on Avatar Roku's island erupted._

 _Sozin came to assist Roku, to battle the volcano, but then Sozin realized that without Avatar Roku, he could pursue his plans to expand his empire, and he left him to die on his island, and used the comet to wipe out the air temples, because he knew that the next Avatar would be an Air Nomad. Only, Aang had eluded him. Sozin spent the rest of his life in search of his greatest fret before dying peacefully in his sleep._

"You see, kids, no matter where you are from, people are capable of doing great good and great evil, but everyone should be given an equal chance. " Iroh stated.

"How was this story supposed to connect me with Zuko? Was it because my past life was friends with the Fire Lord?" Aang asked.

"You could see that as one way, but Zuko has more than one great-grandfather, and Avatar Roku was his mother's grandfather." Iroh stated, the look of shock on their faces was something to laugh at! They choked on their tea and exchanged wide-eyed glances.

"He's the Avatar's bloodline!?" Aang exclaimed.

"Yes, he is, it's one of the reasons why he's had so much inner turmoil." Iroh replied.

"So if Avatar Roku was Zuko's great-grandfather, and Aang's past life, does this mean that Aang and Zuko are related?" Sokka asked.

"Perhaps in some way they are, but I believe that it would be up to them to decide if they should see each other as family." Iroh replied. He glanced over to his nephew and saw that the Fire Prince was laying out cold on the ground. In a slight panic, he shook his shoulder as if trying to wake him up: "Zuko, Zuko!'

Katara looked him over and spoke: "I think he's just passed out, but is it just me or does his head feel warm."

"Ah, I think that Zuko's always been a hothead." Sokka stated.

Iroh felt his forehead and told Katara: "I think he's running a slight fever right now. I'm going to take him to a place where he can rest." Iroh told them.

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The next morning, Iroh awoke to the sound of Zuko coughing and found Katara trying to treat him.

"Iroh, have you seen anything like this before? He's got a high fever, coughing, and I think that he's too weak to move!" She exclaimed.

"This isn't a natural illness… His recent choices, and possibly the new knowledge of his ancestry were in such conflict with his inner self that now he is at war within his own mind and body. He's going through a metamorphosis, and it takes a physical toll. It won't be pleasant for him, but it should pass tomorrow."

"So thirsty." Zuko said weakly. Katara bent the water from a lake and pulled out the impurities before putting it in a pot, she even chilled it, and rather than wait for someone to give him a cup or even a ladle of water, he took the pot itself and started chugging. Once it was empty, he tossed it aside and coughed a few more times.

Aang woke up and asked: "Should we start packing up?"

"Aang, there's a problem, Zuko's ill and needs rest and treatment, and Iroh's not in the best of shape for travel either because of his injury. I think we should stay in this area for another day." Katara told him.

"Alright, this is a nice place to practice bending earth and water." Aang replied.

"That sounds like a good idea. See if Toph's up to teach you some more, and once Zuko's a bit more comfortable, perhaps I'll join you for a swim." Katara replied. She looked to Iroh and told him: "I could soak his blanket and freeze some of the water to cool him down."

"No, it would be best for him to sweat this out, but he'll want some more water." Iroh replied, So Katara filled the pot again.

"Thanks, Katara." Zuko told her and he took a few large gulps from the pot.

"Iroh, you said that he was going through some sort of metamorphosis, but what's that going to do to him?"

"It will be a change in personality, one for the better as far as you're concerned, perhaps with less angst." Iroh replied. He met her eyes and told her: "Thanks for helping him, I'm a bit stunned to see that you were so willing to help him after all we've put you through."

"At the North Pole, I saw that you weren't entirely bad… You're Fire Nation, but you're a lot better than others, like Zhao; and if Zuko is your nephew, then I guess I figured that he couldn't be as bad as I thought he was; and we've gotten to know him better."

Iroh looked down at her and gave her a light smile before telling her: "He's resting now, you can go and train for yourself and go for a refreshing swim for a while. I'll come for you if Zuko needs you."

"Should I take a look at your wound before I go?" Katara asked.

"I assure you that it feels a lot better, thank you."

Katara went off to train, leaving Iroh to tent to his nephew.

During the day, Aang had advanced in his Earthbending and Waterbending, Sokka went out to hunt again, but with Toph this time, and they managed to catch two chicken-turkeys, which Sokka plucked and wrapped for preservation. Katara and Aang spent some time swimming for fun, and washed some laundry.

By the late afternoon, Zuko was strong enough to sit himself up and told the group that he felt that he was alright to travel tomorrow.

"Great, perhaps we can pick some mini-vacations to go on while I train." Aang told them.

"Are you sure we should be spending our time like that?" Sokka asked.

"Sometimes respite is just as good as training, it helps to balance out the stress in your mind." Iroh stated.

"Alright, we'll pick out a few spots, and then we'll figure out where destiny wants us to go." Aang told them.

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The next morning, Aang had picked out a spot in a savannah to visit, but to get there they had to fly over a forest, and it didn't help that they got caught up in a storm while they were at it, with high winds and rain blowing in their faces.

"Aang, can't you bend some of this wind out of our way?" Sokka asked.

"I _am_ , Sokka." He replied his hand outstretched before him, but his bending wasn't of much help.

"Yeah, good job, Avatar, we don't feel like we're in any danger at all!" Zuko called out sarcastically, his hands clapped over his head. Iroh used his arms to cover his face.

"Could you guys be quiet so Aang con concentrate!?" Toph exclaimed.

"Did you guys wake up on the wrong side of the bison?" Sokka asked. Katara looked over and suggested that they should try to find a safe place to land, but the trees were too thick for Appa to make a safe landing. Aang noticed something up ahead that appeared to be a tower about a mile ahead of them. They were hoping to make it there to land, when a strong wind blew Momo off of the bison. Luckily for him, Toph managed to catch him when she heard his scream. Aang looked back to praise Toph for her catch, when Katara screamed his name, as they flew right into a twister! After going for a few spins, everyone was launched out of the saddle, and they landed scattered about in the forest!

Aang rode his way to the ground on his air scooter and found himself twisted around in the forest and ended up getting chased around by viper-bats before making his heading to the tower. He told himself that he had to find the others, but little did he know, there was a stranger in the forest watching him repeating the words: "Find others."

Katara and Sokka landed not too far from a river, but they did land on top of a gang of thieves' hideout, and Sokka had broken his arm. Although they were outnumbered, the thugs were swiftly dealt with when Sokka and Katara made a break for the river, and Katara washed them away once they got their stuff back.

They paused for a moment afterward so Katara could heal Sokka's arm.

"There, how does that feel?" She asked.

"Great, actually, I feel like I'm a new man!"

"Good, let's hope you're a strong one; start gabbing stuff, we're heading for the tower." Katara told him.

Zuko managed to use his Firebending to cushion his landing. He ended up relatively close to the tower, but at the moment, he was more concerned with finding his uncle. He wandered about the forest calling out his name when he heard a loud shout: "ZUKO, UP HERE!"

Zuko looked up and around, only to find his uncle tangled up on some vines, hanging about ten feet in the air.

"Uncle Iroh, are you alright?" Zuko called up.

"Yes, I am, but I am stuck!"

Rather than using a Finrebending-slice to get Iroh down, he decided to climb up the tree to cut the vines in such a way that Iroh could climb down on one rather than dropping to the ground in some comedic fashion. Once Iroh was free, Zuko jumped to the ground.

"Thanks, Prince Zuko." Iroh stated.

"Come on, we should find others at the tower." Zuko told him.

"I think I liked it better when my arm was broken, less to carry and no climbing." Sokka told Katara as they started climbing the cliff, when they heard footsteps on crunching twigs.

"It's not those bandits again, is it?" Sokka asked.

"What bandits?" Zuko asked as he and Iroh stepped into view.

"Not important, I sent them down the river." Katara told them. They started climbing.

"Have you guys seen anyone else?" Sokka asked.

"No." Zuko replied.

"Sokka, Aang's the Avatar, Appa and Toph are tough, and Momo's a wily little guy. I'm sure that they're fine." Katara stated.

They kept on climbing until they heard something rumbling.

"What was that?" Katara asked.

"My stomach, no doubt. I feel like I could eat a unagi!" Sokka replied. It was a close enough guess, but it was actually a cheery Earthbender: "Hello Others," he greeted. He took them on his earth platform and brought them to the tower.

"There now, doesn't Granny's little princess look beautiful?"

Toph had long since made it to the top of the tower, by Earthbending her way there with Momo perched on her shoulder, only to be taken in by a sweet little old lady, who called herself Grandma Lokai. She had proceeded to stuff Toph in a frilly purple dress and put a crown on her head, while giving Momo a little red cape. Toph then grumbled about falling out of the sky and getting kissed and pinched by Granny Lokai.

"Aw, Granny's princess is cranky, I'll make her some beetle-worm soup."

Granny Lokai made a big batch, and served it to Toph, telling her to eat up before the worms chilled.

The wall to her little home crashed open as the cheery Earthbender announced: "Look, found others!"

"Toph, you're okay!" Katara exclaimed, as everyone everyone rushed over to meet each other. Momo flew over to Sokka's shoulder.

"Whoa Toph, nice outfit! Guess someone finally figured out that you're a royal pain!" He jested.

"Laugh it up, Sokka, your makeover's next!" She retorted.

"Yes, a scepter for the new princess, tights for the new princes, and perhaps a cape for the guest king! Oh we'll have so much fun!" Granny Lokai said delightfully.

" _Princess?!"_ Katara exclaimed.

" _Tights?!"_ Sokka exclaimed. Zuko leaned over to Sokka's ear and whispered: "I don't know where she got that notion! I've never worn tights!"

"Not leave, ever! You stay with me, with Granny!" Cheery Earthbender told them.

"Nobody is staying anywhere! Get away from my friends!" Aang declared as he rode in on his air scooter, fighting mad!

"Way to overreact Aang!" Toph announced as the cheery Earthbender fought to defend the others.

Katara and Zuko found a picture on the wall and then broke up the fight when Katara bent water to put a wall of ice between Aang and the cheery Earthbender.

"Aang, look, this place is an orphanage!" Zuko announced, bringing the picture to him.

"I could've told you that." Toph stated, her crown sliding off to one side.

"That's me, Onku, big guy!" The cheery Eathbender told him, pointing to his part of the picture.

"Granny loves her children. All the little princes and princesses! It was nicer before the war, before the children stopped coming… I know you're not here to stay, but it would have been so lovely." Granny Lokai spoke.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, but we should get going. Our bison is still lost and…" Aang started, but Toph interrupted: "No he's not, he's right outside in the courtyard, I could've told you that too."

They found Appa outside wearing a crown and a pair of mittens, looking pretty comfortable. Aang ran right over to him and tried to hug his head as Onku asked: "Friends stay overnight?"

"We'd love to, and how about some supper for the weary traveler?" Sokka replied.

"Oh yes! Beetle-worm soup for everyone! And it is still warm!" Granny Lokai announced. She brought out a tray of the soup, and everyone tried to hold back their looks of disgust.

"How about I brew some tea to wash it down?" Iroh offered.

"Well that sounds lovely, I'll show you where I keep my leaves and blossoms for brewing." Granny Lokai told him.

So after the soup and tea, they spent the night sleeping on old, but fairly cozy, beds, and they took off the next day, thanking Granny Lokai and Onku for their hospitality.

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 **Well I'm having too much fun writing this. Now, reviews are my drive, so if you will, please review.**


	4. Chapter 4: Desert Spirit Library

**IV: Desert Spirit Library**

Just before sunrise, Katara woke up and found Zuko sitting in front of a small campfire, meditating.

"Oh, good morning Zuko. Are you feeling any better?" She asked him.

"Yes, thank you." He replied… his voice was surprisingly tranquil… At least, as far as Katara was concerned. He was quieter the past couple of days, but there always seemed to be an element of aggression in him; this was the first time she saw him as completely gentle.

She took a look at the fire and saw that it rose and fell with his breathing.

"So, what is this exercise supposed to do for you?" Katara asked.

"It deepens my connection with the element and helps me to keep it under control." Zuko replied. Katara sat down and Zuko asked her: "Is there something on your mind?"

"It's your sister… She's also has two other girls fighting alongside her, and I was wondering if you could tell me anything about them."

"I think I know whom they might be, but you're going to have to describe them."

"Well one has the darkest hair I've ever seen, she throws knives, and she seems a bit gloomy and sighs a lot. The other, she seems more sweet and innocent, not threatening at all, but she's swift and agile, and with a few jabs she blocked my chi and took away my bending."

"Yeah, those are her friends, they've known each other since they were children. They're Mai and Ty Lee… Mai and I've gotten along, but I never did get to know Ty Lee too well." Zuko replied.

"What can you tell me about Azula as a fighter?"

"She's a Firebending prodigy and can bend lightning. However, that's her only fighting style. If she couldn't bend, then all she'd do is evade other attacks. She's fast, agile, ruthless, persistent, and she'll even resort to playing dirty tricks if it meant winning. You saw in the ghost town that she said that she surrendered but then struck our uncle."

They sat for a while as the others were getting up. Sokka got right to packing the bags, when he noticed something among Zuko's things. He pulled it out and found that it was a pair of swords.

"Uhh, Zuko…?"

He looked over to Sokka and saw him holding the swords. After putting out the small campfire he said: "What, haven't you seen me swordfight before? I've been training with Master Piandao since I was just a kid."

"No, we haven't, you've always preferred throwing fireballs at us… but you're saying that you can fight without your bending?"

"Master Piandao is one of the greatest masters of the sword in the Fire Nation, so yeah, I'm quite skilled with those dual swords."

"Wait, I remember those, you used these to break me out of that prison." Aang stated. Zuko nodded, and Sokka approached him to ask: "Do you think that you can show me how to fight sometime?"

"Well your skills could use a little refining." Zuko replied.

With everything packed up, they hopped into the saddle, took off, and Zuko asked: "Sokka, do you even have a sword?"

"I have a Water Tribe machete that should serve me well, and my trusty boomerang!"

"Yeah, that I remember, it's not fun to take that thing to the head." Zuko replied.

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Aang rested Appa in a savannah where he sat before a field of holes with a little flute in his hands.

"Aang, what are we doing here? There's nothing here." Sokka questioned. Toph put her hand on the ground and told him: "Actually there's a lot going on down there, there's many-"

"Toph, I know that you can see underground, but try not to ruin the surprise please." Aang spoke up. He blew a note on his flute and a gopher-mole came up and sang the same note, and as Aang continued to play more on his flute, more gopher-moles came up to sing along.

"See, I'm putting an orchestra together!" Aang declared. He then played a tune on his flute with the gopher-moles singing along before showing Katara his map and asking her where she'd like to go.

"How about the Misty Palms Oasis? That sounds refreshing." She told them.

"Oh yeah, it's a pristine natural phenomenon, an iceberg, and I don't normally used the word 'pristine'." Aang replied.

However, upon their arrival, they found it to be a really seedy looking place with a Sandbender that spat at Sokka's feet as he passed. He looked like a half-dead, sickly, mummy. Zuko took a look at a notice board and saw wanted posters of himself with his uncle, his Blue Spirit alter-ego, and Aang. He quickly took the poster of he and his uncle and Aang and singed them into ash with his enclosed fists. They went inside what appeared to be something of a tavern, filled with shady characters, but the man working the counter was preparing refreshing fruit beverages using dual swords and serving them in bowls of ice. The group bought some, Zuko hiding his face under his hat. He turned, saw something, and slapped a hand over his face.

"What is it?" Aang asked him, Zuko pointed to his uncle, seated before another older man.

"Pai Sho… He's a fan of the game. When I was still travelling on my ship, he once redirected our course just to find a place to replace a tile! It was about that time when we met up with those pirates… Well it turned out that his tile was in his sleeve the whole time! Looks like we'll be staying here a while, we won't be able to drag him from the game anytime soon."

"Ah, I see that you favor the white lotus gambit. Not many still claim to the ancient ways." Iroh's opponent stated.

"Those who do can always find a friend." Iroh replied. They laid down their tiles until they formed the shape of a flower.

"Welcome brother, the white lotus opens wide to those who know our secrets."

Over at the other table, Toph's face went quizzical, and then she whispered: "Guys, I think I'm picking up some familiar vibrations, they remind me of Xin Fu and Master Yu."

"Who're they?" Zuko asked.

"Xin Fu ran a ring for Earthbenders to duel, I was his reigning champion, and Master Yu was my Earthbending teacher, although I've mastered Earthbending to the point where I could make him my student." Toph replied.

"Why would they be here?" Sokka asked.

"After I ran away, my parents may've sent them after me. They'll be trouble if they catch me." Toph replied.

"Hurry, go under the table, if they see you, we'll just have to deal with them." Sokka told her. Xin Fu and Yu looked around and didn't find anything worthwhile so they left the tavern, but Iroh had approached them and spoke: "My friend here has agreed to help us out."

"Great, does he have a more updated map?" Sokka asked. The Pai Sho player looked him right in the eyes and told him 'no'.

"I must speak with him alone, I'll be going to a flower shop with him in the next small town just to the east to discuss things. You kids can come along so long as you stay out of trouble." Iroh told them.

They were about to leave when a man bumped into them and spilled his drink on Aang, he looked quite shocked.

"It's okay, I clean up easily." Aang told him, and he blew the drink out of his clothes.

"Hey, you're a living relic! An Airbending Air Nomad!" the man exclaimed.

"Uh, thanks I try to be." Aang replied.

"I'm Professor Zei, head of Anthropology at the University of Ba Sing Se. Tell me, which air temple to you hail from?"

"The south." Aang replied as Zei buzzed around Aang, even taking measurements of his head.

"Excellent, now tell me, what was your main agricultural product?"

"Uh, do fruit pies count?" Aang asked. Sokka asked Zei if he had a more recent map to replace their dated one. Zei showed them his map only to find that there was no depiction of the Fire Nation on it.

"Doesn't anyone have a map of the Fire Nation?!" Sokka exclaimed. The others remarked about how many times he made trips into the desert, he said that he almost died every time and had yet to find the crown jewel of places to discover, the spirit Wan Shi Tong's Library. He elaborated that if there was any information to be discovered, it would be at the Knowledge Spirit's library. So Sokka declared that he'd like to spend his mini vacation at the library.

"It sounds like a good choice, my friend, but might I suggest that we stop at the flower shop before we head out?" Iroh spoke, putting a hand on Sokka's shoulder, and gesturing to his Pai Sho friend.

"Professor, we have to run an errand first, perhaps grab a couple provisions, and then we can head out on our flying bison."

"YOU HAVE A FLYING BISON!?" Zei exclaimed. They showed him Appa, whom was growling at some Sandbenders, but Zei chased them off.

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Iroh went into the flower shop for his meeting, another man allowed only him inside the back room, but he caught a good look at his companions.

Zuko pulled Aang in close and whispered: "Can you keep the professor busy for a while? There's something I need everyone to know but him." Aang nodded and offered to answer any more questions the professor had to ask about Air Nomad culture… He was ecstatic.

Zuko had everyone else gather in close and told them: "Listen, Uncle Iroh has a history with Ba Sing Se. It's the sight of his greatest military disgrace, and laid siege to it for six months before eventually withdrawing his troops. He's also known as the Great Dragon of the West. So if anyone of the Earth Kingdom asks, my name is Lee, and Iroh is my Uncle Mushi.

" _Mushi_ , did you come up with that one for him?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah… I was a little bitter at him. He tried making a rare tea out of plant that turned out to be poisonous and had to be treated." Zuko replied.

"Well if you're going with false names, should we do something about your scar? I mean it's pretty distinctive and you have it in your wanted poster picture." Sokka asked.

"What, would you have me wear an eye patch?" Zuko replied.

"I could try healing it for you." Katara offered. She showed him her vial of spirit water and told him that it had special properties.

"No thanks, so far no one has identified me in the Earth Kingdom, besides something like that should probably be saved for a desperate situation." Zuko replied. He broke up the group, and then pulled Aang inside to tell him about his and Iroh's false names, and Iroh's history with Ba Sing Se.

Katara kept Zei busy by telling him about life in the Southern Water Tribe and collecting a few provisions, in her case some food and extra water skins.

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When Iroh emerged from the back room he showed the kids a passport to call their own to help them get around the Earth Kingdom, should the need arise, and he also told them that he knew of some correspondence. By that time, Katara and Zei had returned,

Before they went back outside, Sokka stopped them, saying that Xin Fu and Yu were outside looking for Toph, and she could hardly see in the sand. Sokka threw his boomerang and clonked them both in the heads in one boomerang slice. While they were reeling in pain, they ran and took off on Appa.

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They found that the library had been buried most of the way, save for part of a tower that connected it to the rest of the massive treasure trove of knowledge. They managed to scale the tower, but Toph stayed behind, saying: "I've held books before and never saw the appeal of them."

Right, blind.

Professor Zei went wild over the architecture, particularly at the sight of an owl mosaic, and soon enough the residing spirit showed up, and they took cover behind some pillars.

"I know you're there, come on out." The spirit spoke. Everyone emerged and the owl spirit looked down at them with curiosity.

"I often see humans come here looking to destroy their enemies, but this time, what a unified collection of misfits." The spirit spoke. He craned his neck around Iroh and added: "Particularly you, I've heard rumors and have read about you to know who you are, and I've heard of your journey to the spirit world."

"It's an honor to meet the great Knowledge Spirit, Wan Shi Tong." Iroh replied.

"Now what, or whom do you wish to destroy?" Wan Shi Tong asked.

"Rather my companions would wish to restore something that has been lost for over 100 years; and that you be the balance in the world." Iroh replied.

"I see… and I see that you respect the spirit world. Yet I am reluctant to let humans into my library after they have abused the knowledge from my library so many times… If you wish to continue through the library, you must donate to my collection."

Everyone managed to find something on their persons to donate to the library, Zei a tome of his works, Katara some scrolls, Aang gave his wanted poster, Sokka gave a fancy knot, and Iroh and Zuko provided demonstrations of new Firebending forms, but without actually bending, and so the spirit allowed them to pass and look over the scrolls.

Professor Zei split from the group; Sokka was quick to take some maps and star charts, Aang found himself enjoying tomes of animals, while Katara read up on some of Aang's past lives, and Iroh was brushing up on his botany. If there was any chance that he was going to find a rare tea herb then he was going to steep it!

Then Sokka came upon a glass case with a torched parchment and read off: "The darkest day in Fire Nation history… and a date!" He took out the parchment and brought it over to Zuko and Iroh and asked: "Could you two tell me what happened on this date?"

Iroh took the parchment and after looking it over he told Sokka: "It was a day of black sun. The Firebenders lost their bending on that day and it left us open for an attack."

"Is it possible for an eclipse to come before Sozin's Comet?"

"The eclipse is due for a return, but it is not easy to predict." Iroh replied.

A foxy knowledge seeker appeared and pointed them in a direction.

"I guess it wants me to follow it." Sokka stated, he called for the others and the followed the fox to a room that showed the movements of the heavens. With a pull of the handle it showed the movements of stars, the sun, and the moon.

For some time, Sokka fussed with the dials to adjust the dates until finally he got a date for an eclipse, and he could hardly contain his excitement, the day of the eclipse was a mere few weeks before the time the comet was to come. It would be perfect for planning an invasion! Luckily, Iroh quieted him down before he said anything that he might regret, but Wan Shi Tong arrived in the planetarium and questioned: "Now why would you want to know about this eclipse." He looked down at Sokka with accusing eyes.

"Because of this." Zuko told the spirit, as he produced a small 'poof' of flame, and added: "We're traveling together and we've hit some rough patches along the way."

"I know you plan on using this knowledge for violence." Wan Shi Tong told them.

"We haven't lied to you, in the end our goal is to end this war and restore balance to the world, but we humans are still fighting, even though we're hoping for peace." Iroh explained.

"Please, great Knowledge Spirit, as the Avatar and an Air Nomad, I'd rather end this war as peacefully as possible, through delegations and negotiations with the Fire Lord for example." Aang told him.

"However, the Fire Lord has an insatiable hunger for power, a conqueror, and he will not step down without a fight." Iroh explained.

"I care not for human problems and I am reluctant to let you go, but I saw that you've brought someone of each of the nations, you're peaceful with each other, and I see wisdom in you. You also say that you must fight to protect your own and repair the damage of the mistakes of your people. I do not like violence, for the pen is mightier than the sword, but you are using this as a last resort… I'll let you go, and perhaps if you can convince me that you've used this knowledge for the best of reasons, I'll surface this library when this war is over."

"Thank you for being so understanding, great spirit Wan Shi Tong." Iroh told him.

"Yes, but now you must leave, I'll show you your way out." Wan Shi Tong told them.

As they moved through the library, they've found Professor Zei surrounded by a pile of books and scrolls, the spirit looked over to him and spoke: "You were truly here for the sake of knowledge."

"I could spend an eternity in here."

"Then you may stay but eventually you'll have to sate your thirst and hunger. You'll be welcomed back." Wan Shi Tong told him.

The others were shown to their climbing rope, only to find that once they've surfaced, Toph had balled herself up with tears in her eyes, and Appa was missing!

"Toph, where's Appa!?" Aang asked, alarmed.

"He's gone! Sandbenders snuck up on me and I couldn't fight back! My grip on sand isn't the same as rock and soil, and I couldn't feel their vibrations so I couldn't see them!"

"You still didn't fight hard enough!" Aang exclaimed.

"I've heard at least a dozen voices! How was I supposed to take on those numbers when I couldn't see them while trying to bend a form of earth that I've hardly bent before?" Toph retorted.

"Well which way did they go?" Aang asked. Toph pointed in a direction, and Aang took off on his glider to pursue his bison, leaving the others to walk and Momo to perch of someone's shoulder.

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As they were crossing the desert Katara bent equal shares of drinking water, but Sokka's hunger drove him to take his machete and slice off a chunk of cactus to try and eat it, although the juice was also rather thirst quenching: "Drink cactus juice, it'll quench ya, nothing's quenchier, it's the quenchiest!"

"Yeah, I think you've had enough." Katara told him

Momo started flying in wild circles until he got dizzy and crashed, and Sokka looked down at Toph and asked: "Who lit Toph on fire?" Then he glanced over to Zuko, got up in his face and shouted: "IT WAS YOU!"

"I haven't bent any fire since we left the library!" Zuko snapped back; he pushed Sokka aside and calmly walked past him.

"Come on lets keep going." Katara told them.

As they walked, Katara looked over to Zuko and Iroh and spoke: "You two ought to feel pretty comfortable in this intense sun and heat."

"Yeah, I feel like I could do pretty well in a fight right now, maybe even take on a small army, but I don't see how Firebending is going to help us." Zuko replied.

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By late afternoon, they felt a sudden gust of wind, and they saw a giant eruption of sand.

"What is that?" Katara asked.

"It's a giant mushroom. MAYBE IT'S FRIENDLY!" Sokka exclaimed.

"I believe it's an enraged Airbender." Zuko stated. They weren't too fond of the idea of chasing Aang when he was in such an emotional state, so they carried on.

Aang returned to them at sundown, and at this point everyone was feeling exhausted and some of them even hopeless, but Katara pushed everyone to go on. Even though the Firebenders felt like they were in their element, they too were exhausted from all the walking, and the sun was no longer fueling their energy.

At nightfall, Katara said that they should rest for a while, and everyone just dropped in the sand. They rested for a few hours, waking up to see buzzard-wasps circling them before pressing on.

"Ow! Ugh, I am so sick of not feeling where I am going! And what idiot buried a boat in the middle of the desert anyway?" Toph shouted.

"A boat?" Katara questioned.

"Believe me, I kicked it hard enough to feel plenty of vibrations." Toph replied.

They started to dig it out, but Aang merely blew all the sand away with a swing of his staff.

"It's one of the Sandbenders, and it's got a compass on it! We can get out of here!" Katara exclaimed. They boarded the boat and Aang filled the sail with air, following the compass it didn't point north according to the star charts, but it led them to a giant rock and they stopped there. Katara hoped to find some water inside, Aang hoped to find some Sandbenders, Toph was just happy to be on solid ground again. She dropped down and started making a rock angel. Sokka also stated that his head felt like it was clearing up from the cactus juice.

The massive rock had a network of caves. They explored it a little bit, when Sokka decided to try and eat a substance off the wall he said that it tasted like rotten penguin meat.

"You've been hallucinating on cactus juice all day and now you eat something you just found on a cave wall!?" Katara exclaimed.

"I have a natural curiosity." Sokka replied.

"If your natural curiosity keeps driving you to do things like that, it'll be the end of you one day." Zuko told him grimly.

"Good to know that you care."

"Hey guys, something feels off about these caves, they're not natural, they've been carved. I can feel something buzzing… AND IT'S COMING FOR US!" Toph exclaimed. They ran out of the caves, as buzzard-wasps came out and attacked them! One of them snatched Momo, prompting Aang to chase after it and save the little lemur.

Another buzzard-wasp flew out and knocked Zuko off of the ledge.

"ZUKO!" Iroh cried out as he ran over to the edge in a desperate hope to catch him. He was too far down, but as he fell, he managed to figure out how to use Firebending to catch himself, and fly beak up to the ledge. He dropped right next to Sokka just after he swung at a buzzard-wasp he hallucinated.

Toph threw a boulder, and Zuko tackled Sokka out the way of its trajectory .

"Hey Toph, watch where you're throwing those things!" Sokka snapped.

"Sorry, I can't quite tell where they are in the air!"

"Thanks for the save, Zuko… but since when can _you_ fly?" Sokka said

"Just now." Zuko replied, and he ducked from an oncoming buzzard-wasp, he glared at them saying: "I've had enough of them!" Then he started shooting fireballs at them from his fists.

Soon after Aang's return, they'd driven most of the buzzard-wasps away, but the rest were driven off by Sandbenders. They went down to meet them and they accused them of stealing their sailor, but Toph recognized the voice of one of them, and named him the man who stole, Appa.

Enraged, Aang advanced on the Sandbender: "You stole Appa! Where is he!? What did you do to him!?"

"They're lying, they're the thieves!" the thief cried out.

"You said to put a muzzle on him!" Toph called out. Aang began demolishing their sailors until rage made him give into the Avatar State, and with his legion of voices he ordered: "TELL ME WHERE APPA IS!"

By that time the thief confessed to his crime, telling them that he sold Appa to some merchants that were probably in Ba Sing Se by this point.

Sokka urged everyone else to run off while Katara entered his swirling bubble of air and comforted him in a sympathetic embrace. Once he calmed down, they used the last sailor to finally get out of the desert.

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 **There you go, a nice long chapter!**

 **So please review!**


	5. Chapter 5: Journey to Ba Sing Se

**V: Journey to Ba Sing Se**

They made camp at a nice little lake, and Aang spoke: "Iroh, Wan Shi Tong said that you're a friend to spirits and that you've been to the spirit world."

"Yes, that's true."

"What did you do in the spirit world?"

Iroh sighed and Zuko got a distant look on his face as he looked into the campfire.

"I went there in search of my late son, Lu Ten, who was killed in battle at the front lines. It was a life changing experience for me." Iroh replied.

"I'm sorry to hear about your son." Aang spoke.

"Thank you, Avatar. I know that you've been through great losses, but you can't let that get in the way of enjoying everything else around you that is good. Since I left the Fire Nation with Zuko, I've looked to him as my own son." Iroh replied looking to Zuko with proud eyes. A small smile spread across his face.

After a moment of silence, Zuko looked to Sokka and asked him: "Do you think that you can handle a couple swordsmanship lessons from me tomorrow?"

"I believe I can, I've improved since our first meeting at the South Pole."

"I'll be the judge of that." Zuko told him.

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They woke up with the dawn, Aang and Toph Earthbent a bench to watch as Zuko and Sokka began sword fighting practice. Zuko was using one of his dual swords while Sokka had his machete. They assumed fighting stances and Zuko told Sokka: "Now we're going to start this nice and slow. I'm going to advance on you, and you're going to block me."

"Sounds good." Sokka replied. Zuko stepped and slashed his sword, which Sokka blocked with ease with his machete. Zuko stepped again, thrusting his weapon, and Sokka stepped away to avoid it. Zuko continued basic slashes and thrusts for Sokka to block and evade, but shook up the pattern and sped up his attacks, until their movements were quite fluid. Finally Zuko raised his hand to Sokka and told him: "Alright, you've got basic defense down. Now, I'm going to come at you, but this time, you're going to do basic counter-attacks. That includes blocking and moving to the point where you can move in to strike back.."

"What if I hit you?" Sokka asked.

"You won't." Zuko replied, and he advanced on Sokka with a slash. Sokka blocked it and went in to give Zuko a jab; however, Zuko dodged it.

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Through the morning, Sokka had eventually got the basics down, quickening his counter-attacks, honing his defense, and initiating attacks.

"Alright, Sokka, I think that's enough for now. We'll continue this some other time." Zuko stated, and they put their swords away.

Katara went to the lake and found the fresh water to have very little in the way of impurities, perfect for swimming and getting laundry cleaned. She took off her dress and began washing it. She offered to wash the others' clothes while they also went in for a swim… all went in except for Toph, but she was happy splashing her feet in the water.

"Hey Toph, why don't you wade in a little bit? To be honest you could afford to be cleaned up some." Katara spoke

"Yeah, and your clothes are getting kind of rank." Sokka added.

"You're one to talk! You've got the nastiest socks I've ever smelled!" Katara retorted.

"Thanks for that banter, you two, but my clothes are not dirty, this is a protective layer of earth. It's an Earthbending thing so I wouldn't expect you to understand." Toph told them. Katara took her by the arm and dragged her to the lake with her crying out: "Hey, no way! I don't want a bath! Let go of me or I'll…!"

She used her Earthbending to whack Katara in the face with a short pillar of rock.

"Fine, you want to play dirty… Very well, if I can't bring you to the water, I'll bring the water to you!" Katara declared, and she bent the water to snatch her up and give her a swirling water ride before dropping her back on land, standing on a rock, while still soaking wet, Aang dried her off with his Airbending.

"Gee, thanks for that." Toph said, laden with sarcasm.

Sokka got out of the water to dry off and look over the maps he took from the library for a while. He figured out where they were and was thinking of a new course to head.

Katara looked about to find Aang floating in an ice cube he put himself in, and Zuko was swimming leisurely. She quit her laundry washing and climbed up a cliff, only to jump off of it calling out: "WATERBENDING BOMB!" She splashed through the surface, sending about half of the lake skyward! Aang was thrown out of the lake, his ice cube shattered when it hit a rock, and Zuko found himself caught in a nearby tree!

"Sure, 5000 year old map from the Spirit Library, just splash them!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Sorry!" Katara spoke, and she bent the water out of the map.

"Hey, can I get a little help over here?!" Zuko called out. Katara gave a light laugh and bent a tentacle of water to gently pull him out of the tree and brought him back to the group saying: "Sorry Zuko, I was just having a bit of fun."

"I suppose the ride into the tree was a bit fun, but a bit more warning next time, please." He told her.

"Alright, Iroh, Zuko, I don't know how you're going to like this, but we're heading for Ba Sing Se. We need to get the news of the eclipse to the Earth King so we can plan for an assault on the Fire Nation."

"To return to the site of my greatest military disgrace as a tourist, it should make for an interesting experience." Iroh stated.

"Are you two alright going there then?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah, it might be nice to be in an actual city for a while." Zuko told him .

"Alright, well, it looks like the only way to get there is through a sliver of land called the Serpent's Pass." Sokka told them.

"Is that the only way from here? That pass is dangerous, guarded by a giant sea serpent, and if I'm not mistaken, the Fire Nation patrols that area." Iroh spoke.

"Well, it's not like we have Appa to fly us to Ba Sing Se." Sokka replied.

"Sush up about Appa, can't you try to be a bit more sensitive?" Katara whispered.

"It's okay, I know I was upset before, but now I just want to get to Ba Sing Se, see the Earth King, and tell him about the eclipse." Aang told her.

"Whoa, okay, I'm glad that you're doing better." Katara replied.

As luck would have it, a family of refugees, including a very pregnant woman, found their little area calling out: "Hello fellow refugees!"

They waved in return and got their clothes and offered to take the Serpent's Pass with them, and they cringed in fear. They suggested an alternative route that was safer, faster, and hidden from the Fire Nation, where they would be riding a ferry to reach Ba Sing Se.

Of course the group chose to take the ferry's to Ba Sing Se.

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At the station, Katara remarked about how awed she was at how many lives have been distorted by the Fire Nation… almost forgetting whom she was traveling with.

As they approached the rather cantankerous ticket vendor, she snapped at a cabbage farmer: "NO VEGETABLES ON THE FERRY! ONE CABAGE SLUG COULD RUIN THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM OF BA SING SE! SECURITY!"

A giant platypus-bear was brought to his cabbage cart and destroyed it and the farmers' precious…

"MMyY CaAAaBbAGES!" He wailed, and he was hauled off in a state of shock.

They bought their tickets with ease, thanks to Iroh's passports, from the vendor, but as they were stepping aside to wait for their ferry to be called for boarding, someone stopped Sokka saying: "Tickets and passports please."

Sokka turned to find a young lady working security, she was about his age, and seemed a bit familiar.

"Is there a problem?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah, I've got a problem with you! I've seen your type before: you're probably sarcastic, think you're hilarious, and, let me guess, you're traveling with the Avatar!"

"Do I know you?"

"You don't remember?! Well maybe you'll remember this!" She told him, and then she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"SUKI!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Sokka, it's good to see you!"

"Hey guys! It's Suki!" Sokka called out, but then a slight flashback hit him, when they were on Kyoshi Island, Zuko kind of burnt down the village. He sprinted over to Zuko and warned him that Suki was someone he actually fought. Before Zuko had any chance to hide his scar, Suki came over and recognized him. Before she could get a word in, Sokka covered her mouth telling her: "We'll explain everything, and we can catch up."

As they were finding a space where they were away from others. Suki told them how she ended up here with the other Kyoshi warriors by helping to escort refugees. On their way to a secluded spot, they caught someone trying to rob the family they traveled with! Katara bent her water and trapped the robber in an ice trap, and Suki ran off to bring in a couple of the other Kyoshi warriors to arrest him.

With that excitement out of the way, they found their secluded spot and Suki asked them: "So, what are you doing with these two?" She gestured to Zuko and Iroh.

"We got into a fight with the Fire Princess, and we all just happened to team up together. Well when _he_ got injured, Katra healed him and they've decided to stop hunting us, so we joined forces." Sokka explained, referring to Iroh at 'he'.

"Oh, and have they been any help since?" Suki asked.

"Well yeah, actually. They've told us about some of their culture and some fighting techniques." Sokka replied. Suki glanced off to the side and Sokka told her: "Hey, it's good to see you again, and it's nice to know that you're doing well."

"Thanks, so how was the North Pole? You've got time for a long story." Suki told them.

They elaborated that once they reached the North Pole, Sokka grew close with their Princess, and their first big challenge was to convince the master Waterbender to teach Katara, because Waterbending for fighting was prohibited to women in the Northern tribe. However, when the master saw Katara's necklace, he recognized it and stated that he made it for their grandmother. Soon after that, he agreed to teach Katara, perhaps out of respect for their grandmother, and she became his star pupil.

During a Fire Nation Admiral Zhao slayed the moon spirit, and Aang joined forces with the ocean spirit to drive the Fire Nation fleet away, and the moon spirit was brought back to life when the princess gave her life to save it, just as the moon spirit did for her. In effect, she became the moon spirit.

"So, what became of Zhao?" Suki asked.

"The ocean spirit took his life. It just grabbed him and pulled him into the water, it happened right before my eyes." Zuko told her.

There was a moment of uneasy silence.

"Can't say that I feel too sorry for him, after what he did to the Waterbenders. Without the moon spirit, the Waterbenders couldn't fight back, making it an unfair fight… It's dishonorable to fight those you know are much weaker than you. Then, not too long before the siege, he tried to have me killed by having my ship blown up while I was still inside." Zuko told them.

"Wow, sounds like it was quite the adventure… So, if I may ask, what are you guys doing trying to get a ferry, wouldn't you just fly over to Ba Sing Se on Appa?"

"Appa is missing; we're hoping to find him in Ba Sing Se." Katara told Suki.

"Oh, Aang, I'm sorry to hear about that." She spoke.

"I'm doing what I can to deal with it." He told her.

"Well the ferries should be ready for boarding soon, so I'll let you go. Have a good trip, and I hope to see you later!" She told them.

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Soon after they got on the ferries, Katara saw that the pregnant woman was about ready to give birth and she helped her out with the delivery. Seeing the newborn girl, named Hope, brought hope back to Aang that he would find Appa and things will eventually turn out for the better.

Later on, the crew divvied up some sort of stew for the refuges, but it tasted foul and even a bit rotten.

"Ugh, I'm sick of eating rotten food… and sleeping in the dirt!" Zuko proclaimed, as he spat out the stew over the ship.

"Aren't we all?" A new voice asked, well new to Zuko, Iroh, and Toph.

"JET!? What are you doing here?!" Katara exclaimed.

"Whoa, hey, Katara Sokka, Avatar, fancy seeing you here. If you must know, my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee, Longshot, and I are going to Ba Sing Se for a new start. Now, I see that you've made some new friends." Jet stated.

"Yeah, you meet new people when you travel. These guys are: Lee, his Uncle Mushi, and Toph an Earthbending master." Sokka stated.

"Nice… So, here's the deal, I hear that the captain is eating like a king while us refugees have to live off of his scraps, it doesn't seem fair, does it? How would you like to help us 'liberate' some food?" Jet asked them.

"What sort of king is he eating like?" Iroh asked.

"The fat and happy kind." Jet replied. Iroh practically drooled over the prospect of a decent meal.

"I'm in." Zuko told Jet as he tossed his bowl overboard.

"Great, I'll come for you after sundown." Jet told him, and he left with Smellerbee and Longshot tailing after him. Once they were gone, Katara elbowed Zuko in the upper arm and snarled in a hush whisper: "What do you think you're doing?"

"I think that I'm going to get us some decent food tonight." Zuko told her.

"You don't understand, you've never met Jet before! When we ran into him, he tried to wipe out a town of innocent Fire Nation citizens by washing it away! The moment he finds out your national background it'll be _your_ butt that gets fried!"

"She's not kidding, _Lee_ , he once robbed a harmless old man just because he was Fire Nation, right before my eyes." Sokka added.

"I appreciate your concern, but I don't plan on bending tonight." Zuko replied and he looked over his shoulder to his dual swords on his back.. He placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder and asked him: "How does having a piece of fresh red meat for dinner sound to you?"

The thought of such a treat made Sokka drool.

"Listen, you can help keep us out of trouble, I'm sure of it." Zuko added.

"Well, if it's just food we're talking about, then what's the harm?"

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True to his word, Jet returned, and they managed to sneak into the kitchen where Jet snatched up a sack of chicken-turkeys. Zuko used his swords to seal up several containers and then he tied them together with a ribbon. Sokka managed to heat up some strips of red meat before Smellerbee alerted them of the guards, and they escaped by sliding down a rope connected to Longshot's arrow.

They handed out some of their 'liberated' food to the other refugees before sitting down for a meal together.

"I hear that people eat like this all the time in Ba Sing Se, I can't wait to set my eyes on that wall, and find my new beginning." Jet stated.

"It really is a magnificent sight." Iroh stated.

"Oh, you've been there before?" Jet inquired.

"Once, when I was a different man." Iroh replied.

"So Jet, what do you plan on doing when you get to the city?" Sokka asked.

"That's the beauty of it. I'll let fate decide. I'll go where I'm needed… and should you guys ever need us, you just come and holler." Jet replied.

"Thanks, we'll keep that in mind." Zuko replied.

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With the wall in sight that morning, Aang took flight on his glider to get ahead of his friends and search the city for Appa, but he had to cut his search short, for he saw something big approaching the Outer Wall, and it bore the insignia of the Fire Nation!

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 **You guys know what episode is next but what's going to happen after the team gets settled in the city? What's going to become of Jet?**

 **PLEASE review! It is my drive! I love me some reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Drill

**VI: The Drill**

"Aang, what are you doing back so soon? I thought you were going to look for Appa." Katara said upon the Avatar's return.

"Appa's going to have to wait."

"What's so important that Appa has to wait?" Sokka asked.

"There's something big approaching the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, like a massive drill, and it's got the Fire Nation Emblem on it." Aang told them.

"I'm willing to bet that Azula's overseeing it then." Zuko stated.

"Are you going to come with us?" Aang asked.

"I'd love to, but I don't think that now's the right time for me to try and bring my sister down." Zuko replied.

There was no time to wait for the ferry to dock, Aang took Sokka, Katara, and Toph to shore on his glider, and Toph and Aang used Earthbending as an elevator to reach the top of the wall. There they met up with General Sung, leading the defense against the drill. Aang offered to help them, but was told that he was not needed. He showed them his team of Earthbenders, the Terra Team, as they made their attempts to stop the drill from the outside, while Sokka decided to come up with a team name for themselves, settling on 'Team Avatar'.

However, to support Zuko's suspicions, Azula was somewhere within the machine. Although she didn't come out, Mai and Ty Lee did. May threw her knives and shot mini crossbow bolts, nailing a few guys to rocks, and Ty Lee proceeded to knock down several other guys with some quick jabs. Now that they were all down, Toph asked: "Now would you like for us to help you?"

"Yes please." General Sung spoke weakly.

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Once the ferry docked, Zuko and Iroh decided to wait for the others in the station. They met up with another ticket master, and brought the others' tickets and passports to get them taken care of too. Iroh had to sweet talk her in order for her to stamp their tickets and passports without any trouble, and she became quite flirtatious with him as she welcomed them to Ba Sing Se. They decided to wait for the others in the station. They sat down and Jet decided to join them for a moment.

"I saw the Avatar take off with the rest of your friends. Do you know what's going on?" He asked.

"There's a problem at the outer wall, and he's off to fix it." Zuko replied.

"Well why didn't you go with him, Lee? You're pretty good with those swords and you're quite stealthy."

"It was best that I didn't get involved. The problem requires benders and Sokka, he's good at coming up with ideas on the fly." Zuko told Jet.

"So, you're just going to stay in the station until they return?"

"Yes, so you go on and get to the city. Perhaps we'll find you once it's all over."

Jet shrugged his shoulders and got up, saying: "Who knows, perhaps I'll find you first." He then got on the next train when it arrived.

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"So the question is how are we going to stop that thing?" Aang asked. Everyone looked over to Sokka.

"Why are you all looking at me?" He asked.

"You're the idea guy!" Aang told him.

"So I'm the only one that can come up with a plan? That's a lot of pressure."

"You're also the complaining guy." Katara added.

"That part I don't mind." Sokka told her.

The Terra Team brought in their downed Earthbenders to the infirmary, where Katara set to healing them. General Sung remarked that they didn't look injured, but the Earthbender elaborated that a young lady hit him with a few quick jabs, locked his chi, and then cartwheeled away. Katara knew he was talking about Ty Lee, and remarked that when she chi blocks, it felt like she takes you down from the inside. That gave Sokka an idea: "That's how we're going to take down the drill! Just like Ty Lee did with these big Earthbenders!"

"By hitting it's pressure points!" Toph announced.

"We'll take it down from the inside!" Aang declared.

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A tea vendor passed by and Iroh ordered a cup of a jasmine brew, only to find it stone cold.

"Ugh, _coldest_ tea in Ba Sing Se! We'll have to make a few changes around here." Iroh grumbled. Zuko caught him about ready to use Firebending to heat up his tea and knocked it out of his hands, and snarled: "Don't be a fool, Uncle!'

"I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but… * _sniff_ , it's just so sad!"

Zuko just slapped a hand over his own forehead. Iroh got up and told him: "I think I'll take the next train into the city, but I'll be back in a while." So when the next train came, Iroh stepped inside.

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Outside the drill, Toph created a large dust cloud to cover them as they infiltrated the drill. Only Toph stayed outside to do what she could to slow the drill down.

Once inside Sokka knew that they'd need schematics of the machine, and so he came up with the quick idea of breaking a steam valve with his machete.

"What are you doing? Someone's going to hear us!" Aang exclaimed.

"That's the idea. I figured that a machine this big needs engineers to run it; and when something breaks…"

"They come to fix it!" Katara interjected.

Sure enough an engineer came to look at the team problem, and Katara bent the steam to freeze him where he stood, while Sokka stole his shematics. Looking at it they saw that the drill had an inner mechanism and an outer shell held together through braces. They decided to collapse the drill by cutting through the braces, but once they reached the braces, they found that they were massive structures, proving that their task would be daunting.

Sokka cheered Aang and Katara on while they bent the water from Katara's pouch to slice through the brace… However, it took too long just to cut through one brace, and a lot of energy. To make matters even worse, the drill made contact with the outer wall.

"Maybe we don't need to cut it all the way through!" Aang told them after a moment of realization. He gave a demonstration on Sokka saying that Toph has been teaching him not to put his full strength into one strike, but to break an opponent's stance, deliver a final blow, and his own weight would be his literal downfall!. So they agreed to just weaken the braces. So they sliced only a little over halfway through. Still it took quite a bit of time.

By the time they reached their last brace, they had been discovered. The Fire Nation found the frozen engineer, and the brace cut clean through. So Azula and her posse made their move to capture the vandals.

"Alright Team Avatar, now Aang just needs to… DUCK!" Sokka cried out as Azula threw a fireball at him.

Team Avatar split up Aang going one way, Katara and Sokka going the other. Katara tossed Aang her pouch and she escaped through a sludge pipe with her brother, with Ty Lee pursuing after them; Mai refused to get in, utterly disgusted at the thought of swimming in 'wall juice'; as for Azula, she went after the Avatar.

When Katara and Sokka landed, Katara saw that Ty Lee was after them! So she bent the water to plug up the drain and keep Ty Lee trapped so she couldn't chi block her. Sokka told her to keep it up so pressure could build up in the drill so it would be ready to burst when Aang delivered the final blow. A short moment later, Toph caught up with them to help out, and Sokka told her to help Katara out by bending the earth in the water. With her help, Ty Lee was pushed out of sight.

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Aang made it to the top of the drill and carved an X to weaken the shell, having to duck General Sung's boulders, and eventually Azula when she started throwing fire at him. He had his companion, Momo, fly off as he dealt with Azula, and a burst of sludge sent them sliding down the sides. Momo flew in to help Aang climb up the drill again by running with the speed of the wind, while Azula had to catch herself and climb back up slowly.

A boulder fell into place for Aang, and he carved it into a wedge over his X and scaled the wall in order to deliver the final blow, but on his way down, Azula managed to get to the top. She prepared a fireball for him, but just as she tossed it, Aang missed it and hit his wedge with such a percussive blast of air that she was sent to the very back of the drill!

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"Here it comes!" Toph called out, and she built a pillar for them to stand on while the sludge drained from the drill. Ty Lee crashed into the pillar, and was pinned there by the flow. Azula slid down the back of the drill, into the sludge, as the drill collapsed and shut down. Mai looked out through a porthole, and told her friends dryly: "We lost."

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Iroh had returned from his trip to the city with a vase of flowers and a big grin on his face. When he found Zuko, he found him almost asleep in his seat. Iroh clapped a hand on his shouder and gave him a little shake to wake him up.

"Oh, hey Uncle; so, how's the city?" Zuko asked rubbing the drowsiness from his face.

"It's lovely, and I managed to find us some jobs while we stay."

"Uncle, are we even going to need jobs now that we're traveling with the Avatar?"

"If we are treated as honored guests, we might be seen to that we're given everything we need, but what we can earn for ourselves can be saved up for when we leave, or to spend on having a little fun." Iroh replied.

A little while later, the others returned, Zuko met their eyes and got to his feet, asking them: "I take it that everything went well, but what happened?"

"We took the drill down from the inside, and gave Azula a taste of defeat." Sokka told him. Zuko sighed, blissfully and told him: "I've wanted her to have a taste of failure for some time now. "

"I get it, sibling rivalry." Sokka stated. Zuko nodded.

"Shall we go to the city now?" Iroh asked. The kids nodded and they got onto the next train, where someone awaited the young heroes at their next stop.

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 **I'm curious, what events do you guys think are going to go down once they reach the city? Please feel free to answer that question in the reviews.**


	7. Chapter 7: Inner City

**VII: Inner City**

They reached the inner wall, and Katara declared: "I can't believe it that we've made it to Ba Sing Se!"

"Hey, don't jinx it! We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp." Sokka exclaimed.

"Have you been hitting the cactus juice again?" Toph asked.

"I'm just saying that weird stuff happens to us." Sokka stated. Not a moment later a strange man sucking on a corncob with a weird look in his eyes sat between Sokka and Zuko. Zuko made an effort to slide away from him.

Aang looked out the window, is eyes sad, but Katara assured him that they would find Appa. Without looking at her, Aang spoke: "It's such a big city."

"He's a giant bison, where could they possibly hide him?" Sokka asked, but as the train entered the city, his eyes went wide with awe! There was the kingdom of Omashu, but this was a whole different scale! Ba Sing Se spanned almost as far as the eye could see with many buildings and roads, it took them a moment for the sheer size of the kingdom to simply sink in, even for Zuko. By that time the train came to a stop and they disembarked.

"Back in the city, great." Toph said dryly.

"What's so bad about the city? We'll have warm beds waiting for us instead of dirt to sleep on, and we'll be eating hot and fresh food!" Zuko told her.

"Yeah, and this place is amazing!" Sokka declared.

"It's still full of walls and rules, you'll get sick of it, just give it a few days." Toph replied.

Aang looked over the rails of the station and blew his bison whistle, promising Appa that he would find him, and he told his friends that he could feel that Appa was somewhere within the city. Katara placed a hand on his shoulder and asked him: "Well then, where would you like to look first?"

Before Aang could answer, a woman with a wide smile, almost unnatural, approached them and introduced herself as Joo Dee, put in charge of showing the Avatar and company around the city.

"Shall we get started then?" Joo Dee asked.

"Yes; we have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately." Sokka told her.

"Great, let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it." She replied. Sokka gave a quizzical glance to his friends and then got up in Joo Dee's face to tell her: "Augh! Maybe you missed what I said. We need to talk to the King about the war, it's important."

"You're in Ba Sing Se now, everyone here is safe." Joo Dee told him, still holding that odd smile. She then showed them to a carriage awaiting them, and Zuko was trying to conceal his excitement. To be chauffeured around a capitol city in a carriage made him almost feel like a prince again!

They started riding and Joo Dee began speaking: "This is the Lower Ring."

"What's that wall for?" Sokka asked.

"Oh, Ba Sing Se has many walls. There are the ones outside protecting us, and the one's inside that help maintain order. This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsman and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively."

They saw a few shady looking characters in an alley, and Joo Dee added: "You do want to watch your step though."

"Why do you have the poorer folks blocked off from the rest of the city?" Katara asked.

"This is why I never came here before. I heard that it was so different from how the monks taught us to live." Aang stated.

They reached another section of the city, and Joo Dee told them: "This is the Middle Ring, home to our financial districts, shops, restaurants, and the university."

"Yeah, we met a Professor from Ba Sing Se University. He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is _absolutely crucial for the King to hear!_ " Sokka shouted.

"Isn't history fascinating… Oh look, there's one of our oldest buildings in the Middle Ring! Town hall!" Joo Dee told them. The carriage stopped and she stepped out for a while.

"Is this woman deaf? She only seems to be hearing every other word I'm saying." Sokka spoke.

"It's called 'being handled, get used to it." Toph told them.

Zuko looked out the windows from each side of the carriage and told them in a hushed voice: "I'm well acquainted with this tactic, it keeps important secrets away from us, and hidden well. If you want the information that you're looking for, she's going to do her best to keep it away from you. There are two ways of getting her to talk: one would be to break her, two would be if she lets something slip and you catch her, but a third option would be to just look for someone else with the same information, and you may have to go as far as to threaten their life in order for them to start talking."

"Well we're not going to do _that_!" Aang exclaimed, but kept his voice hushed.

"If that's your choice, then fine, stick to it, but you do have to ask yourself how badly you want to find Appa." Zuko told him.

Joo Dee returned to them and showed them the palace, the Dai Li, and brought them to their new home. The house was quite charming and upscale! When they stepped outside, Joo Dee told them that their request for an audience with the Earth King should be put through in about a _month_!

Well, if this was going to be home for a month, they might as well would make the most of it. Aang told them that they might as well use the time to look for Appa, and Joo Dee not only offered to escort them wherever they pleased, but refused to leave them alone, saying that leaving them alone would make her a bad host.

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They searched all over the city, asking about the war and a flying bison, but no one gave them a good answered, in fact they seemed to have put all of their effort into avoid the questions, no matter how much they tried to press the questions. Even Zuko tried using his intimidation tactics to the point where Iroh almost had to hold him back before he started drawing his dual swords! Luckily, Zuko managed to keep enough cool without fully blowing up in someone's face. However, something caught his eye, it was a hawk, one that could be trained to carry messages!

Still, they returned to their house empty-handed, but while Iroh and Katara were trying to fix something for dinner, the others got settled in, and after that Zuko found a place to just recline for a little while, he was actually smiling and Momo curled up on his chest.

"Ha, you seem to really be in your element, Zuko." Sokka remarked, saying his name at a softer volume.

"This is finally a nice place we can call our own for a while! If there was some red to break up all of this green, I'd really feel right at home here." He replied.

" _Red_ , as in Fire Nation red?!" Sokka exclaimed.

"If that's the case, are you trying to blow your cover, Zuko? And after all the misery the Fire Nation put you through, do you really want to be reminded of it?" Aang asked. Zuko sat up for a moment and asked them: "Aang, wouldn't you be more comfortable if this house was modeled after the Southern Air Temple and had some fresh fruit pies waiting for you to eat them? Sokka, wouldn't you like to see some animal pelts strewn across the floor and have the scent of cooking seal meat wafting in the air?"

Aang and Sokka exchanged looks, and Aang replied: "Well it might look better if one of the walls had an Air Nomad-style mural on the wall, and I could go for a fruit pie right about now."

"Exactly, because that's what would remind you of your home. Now my home may not be the happiest place in the world, but it's still my home… despite my exile." Zuko replied.

Toph's face took on a more sympathetic expression, and she asked him: "What're some of your happier memories from home?"

Zuko looked as if he was searching for some distant memory for a while before telling them: "When I was just a kid, I'd enjoy sitting under this blossoming tree in the royal gardens, feeding bread to turtle-ducks. Then there were times when I'd play games with cousin Lu Ten, though I'd hardly play a round of Pei Sho with him, his teacher was too good."

Iroh chuckled in the background.

"You've never told us about your mother before." Sokka stated. Zuko sighed and replied: "She's gone."

"Oh, I'm sorry… Katara and I lost our mother to a Fire Nation raid."

"Oh, my mother's not dead, or at least as far as I know; but I woke up one morning and just found out that she'd gone off somewhere, never to be heard from since."

"Sokka, Toph, I urge you to back out of that discussion soon! Such topics are sensitive for my nephew, and you're bringing a gloomy mood into this house!" Iroh told them.

"Sorry!" Sokka told him. They grouped together for a hot meal made of noodles, crushed nuts, eggs, spices, a thin sauce, and little bits of hog-chicken meat thrown in **(it's like pad thai)**. To drink, Iroh brewed them a tea from oranges. They ate in almost silence, until Sokka asked: "Iroh, can you tell us what makes your older brother tick?"

"No, because I don't have an older brother."

Sokka looked at him as if he'd gone crazy.

"Fire Lord Ozai is my younger brother."

"If you're the oldest, then shouldn't you be in power then?" Toph asked, knowing the rules of succession quite well.

"I did aspire to inherit the throne, but with the loss of my son, I would have no heir, but my brother does, and his children are also descended from the Avatar. Not long after I quit my siege here, I've heard news that my father had passed on, quite suddenly, and that it was his last wish that my brother would take the throne."

"Uncle, is that all you know about your father's death?" Zuko asked.

"What more is there to know?" Iroh replied.

"The day before Grandfather Azulon passed, soon after hearing about Lu Ten, father asked your father for your birthright. Azulon was furious with him, and after Azula did some eavesdropping, she told me that father was going to kill me. I didn't truly believe her, but the next thing I knew, mother had disappeared and grandfather had passed away."

Iroh closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he told Zuko: "I do not wish to dwell on the sins of the past. What's important right now, is putting our effort into ending this war."

"How is it that you two are as sane as you are?" Toph asked Iroh and Zuko. They chose not to answer.

Ω £ Ω

The next morning, Iroh dragged Zuko and Sokka over to the Lower Ring, where it turned out that the jobs that Iroh had told Zuko about would have them be tea servers. The tea shop owner gave them aprons, Iroh's was too small for him to tie.

"Well you certainly look like official tea shop clerks, how do you feel?" The owner asked them.

"Ridiculous." Sokka and Zuko replied.

"Does this come in a larger size?" Iroh asked.

"I have some extra string in the back. Have some tea while you wait." The other told them. Iroh took a taste from the pot and promptly spit it back out, declaring: "Ugh, this tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!"

"Uncle, that's all tea is!" Zuko told him.

"How could a member of my own family say something so horrible!? We'll have to make some major changes here!"

Zuko looked over to Sokka and found him trying to keep from laughing, he shook his head and followed Iroh into the kitchen and showed them some of his secrets to brewing tea. The owner returned with string and asked them: "What are you doing in the cupboards?"

"I've been known for some fine brews in my time. Just you wait until you have a taste!" Iroh told him. When his first pot of jasmine tea was done, he served it to the owner, and the taste brought delight to his face!

"This is delicious! Mushi, you're going to be the master brewer!" The owner declared. Once Iroh had a few pots going, he opened the shop, and then he quickly made a sign to stick in the window that read 'Improved Recipies'.

Ω £ Ω

Later on in the afternoon, Jet came into the shop and sat down at a small table and looked the menu over.

"Hello, Jet, are you staying out of trouble?" Sokka asked.

"Oh, so you're working here now?" Jet inquired.

"Yeah, my uncle got us these jobs." Zuko told him, and then he asked: "What about you?"

"Well, thanks for asking, Lee. The Freedom Fighters and I found this little old lady running a flower shop. So far we've already helped to fix the place up, we spent a fair amount of time giving the shop a fresh coat of paint, and she also has us tending to the plants and making flower arrangements."

"It sounds nice." Lee stated.

"Yeah, it is. Old lady Kai Li really took us under her wing." Jet replied.

"So, what do you do when you're off work?" Sokka asked him as he gave an older man his order.

"Well since the living conditions in some parts of the Lower Ring aren't that great, we sometimes sneak into the Middle Ring to bring some comforts back to those who need it; be it blankets, healing herbs, or a new shirt for someone. Maybe sometime you guys could help us out."

"Sorry Jet, but that's not our business." Sokka told him.

"We know how hard life can be, so I'll tell you this: I'm not going to help you with those matters, but I'm not going to rat you out either, just don't get yourself caught." Zuko stated.

"I understand, thanks anyway, Lee." Jet replied.

"Before I leave you, would you lie to order something?" Zuko asked him.

"Well what's good today?"

From the kitchen, Iroh called out: "I take you for a young man who likes something spicy and floral!"

"Hey, that sounds great!" Jet called back, he looked to Zuko and told him: "Hey Lee, thanks for understanding me."

Ω £ Ω

At the end of their work shift, they went home, and upon arrival, Toph took Zuko by the wrist and dragged him to the back yard. Using her Earthbending she moved a boulder and revealed a hole underneath it.

"Get in." Toph told him. Zuko climbed down the hole, and found that it led to a large chamber, lit with glowing crystals.

"Toph, what is this place?" Zuko asked.

"It's an arena I've made. Here we can train to our hearts' content! It's even got ventilation so fire's smoke has somewhere to go." She told him.

"Toph, how would you like to duel a Firebender sometime?" Zuko asked.

"A rumble between earth and fire?! You can count me in!" Toph replied.

Ω £ Ω

 **More to come soon!**

 **Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Bears, Balls, Oh Brother

**VIII: Bears, Balls, Oh Brother**

Katara looked outside the next morning and saw that the paper announced that the Earth King was hosting a party for his bear!

"You mean a platypus-bear?" Aang asked.

"No." Katara replied.

"Skunk-bear?" Sokka asked.

"Armadillo-bear?" Zuko asked.

"Gopher-bear?" Aang asked.

"It just says 'bear'." Katara replied.

"This place is weird." Toph stated.

"Well this is a good time to sneak in the palace and see the Earth King." Sokka stated.

"Hah, the moment you guys step in, you'd be thrown right out." Zuko told them.

"What's that supposed to mean, oh great Fire Prince?" Sokka asked.

"He's actually right, the reason being is that you've got no manners. You'll be spotted as imposters or gate crashers before you can say: _'Good evening, sir'."_ Toph told them.

"Excuse me? I've got no manners? You're not exactly Lady Fancyfingers." Katara replied.

"I've learned proper society behavior and _chose_ to ignore it." Toph told her.

"Hey, you said you've learned it! You could teach us, and Zuko too!" Sokka declared.

"I'm mastering all the elements, how hard can manners be?" Aang put in. He wrapped a drape around himself, and bowed to his friends, greeting them in a 'fancy' manner. Sokka joined Aang, not really realizing that Zuko was just shaking his head. Aang and Sokka started exchanging bows to each other until they bonked heads. Zuko decided to just play along with them and he called out: "Guards, we have intruder's in the palace! Seize them!" He went over to them himself and picked them up by their shirts.

"C'mon, Zuko, surely you're not that harsh! Besides, you can't throw us out of our own house!" Sokka told him, but then he saw Iroh cringe and Zuko narrowed his eyes and told him: "Just by those words alone you've challenged the power of a Prince. If you were a Firebender I'd have every right to challenge you to an Agni Kai, but in your case, it's going to be a dual!"

"Zuko!" Katara cried out.

"Relax, Katara, I'm merely going to give him another sword-fighting lesson."

"Really?" Sokka asked.

"Grab your machete and meet me in the training chamber." Zuko told him. Sokka quickly grabbed his machete and ran off after Zuko.

"That is how things are done in the Fire Nation." Iroh stated.

"Maybe we should go down to the chamber and watch… Just to make sure that they don't hurt each other." Katara stated. She was about to head out, when Toph grabbed her upper arm and told her: "Wait, we can have Aang watch over them; you're the only one here that could actually pull off the 'Fancy People' act. So I'm going to teach you how to act like a lady of high society."

"What was that about me?" Aang asked as he looked up from playing with Momo.

"You go and watch over Sokka and Zuko, make sure they don't hurt each other, maybe you can practice your Earthbending by giving our secret chamber some topography." Toph told him. Aang got up to his feet with Airbending and went off to the chamber with Momo on his shoulders, while Toph took Katara in another room to teach her how to be a sophisticated lady.

Ω £ Ω

"Aang, nice to have you here!" Sokka declared.

"Toph told me to watch over this lesson, and practice Earthbending to help you guys out."

"I think that we could use a few platforms and steps." Zuko replied. Aang raised a few platforms, and Zuko spoke: "Alright, Sokka, let's review the basics, get in your battle stance."

" _BASICS?!"_ Sokka exclaimed.

"Yeah, we'll start with a review session, and then I'll whip your tail with intermediate forms." Zuko told him.

"Why don't we just skip the basics them?" Sokka asked.

"INSOLENCE!" Zuko, and then he threw a fireball past him.

"Zuko!" Aang exclaimed.

"Aang, I was in complete control of that blast… Sokka, Aang, do you remember Admiral Zhao?" Zuko asked. They nodded, and Zuko told them: "Not too long after I met you guys for the first time, I challenged him to an Agni Kai, and I defeated him using hardly anything out of basic Firebending forms. The basics are short and simple moves, more advanced moves have roots with the basic forms. Now, Sokka, get in your stance and let's review the basics."

On they went practicing their basic offensive and defensive moves, all basic strikes and blocks, and Sokka did well with Zuko, even when they sped up the strikes Sokka did rather well.

Ω £ Ω

"Alright, Katara, now that we've greetings, walking, and conversation down, we must now practice eating." Toph spoke.

"What's wrong with the way I eat?" Katara asked.

"Your casual eating is fine, but for formal dining you'll be called out." Toph told her. Iroh stepped into the room with a tray of food, from a small pot of hot and sour soup, to a beefy stir fry, steamed oyster-crabs on the half-shell, and a couple of cakes.

"Thanks General Iroh." Toph spoke. Iroh bowed to her and sat off to the side. Toph faced Katara and told her: "We'll start with the soup, normally the waiters would serve it to you in the bowl, but I'm going to need you to serve me mine. Simply draw out the ladle and pour it into my bowl without spilling any contents. To spill any food on the floor or table would be considered an insult to your host and cook."

Katara pulled out the ladle, filled to the rim, but she realized that the soup would dribble that way, so she poured some back.

"Good choice, to not fill your bowl to the brim would suggest that you're not a greedy glutton." Toph stated, and Katara filled her bowl. Toph nodded her head with approval, and once Katara served herself, she told her: "Now we eat. You must sit up straight with your shoulders back, do not lean forward to meet your spoon, if you must, simply to what you did with the ladle and put a bit back. Also you'll be called out if your soup spills over your chin, and if you lick your lips, you must always use your napkin."

There were a couple mistakes this time. Katara spilt a spoonful of soup early on, and a little later the soup spilled over her chin. Toph shook her head, and made her try another full bowl, and that round she ate it without error.

"Well done, now onto the main course." Toph told her.

Ω £ Ω

"Well, Sokka, you've got your basics down, and I hope that now you understand the importance of them. Now, to teach you something more advanced, you'll have to do everything I say and follow my moves." Zuko stated. Sokka nodded and readied himself, and Zuko started barking out: "Triple-jab, down-slash, cross-slash, back-dodge, left-dodge, step-spin-cross-slash…"

He continued on in the same pattern until they were moving too fast for Zuko to speak, and Sokka's forms were looking almost as good as his own. So Zuko paused to tell Sokka: "I can see that you train with much determination, keep this up, you'd might actually make for a good Fire Nation soldier."

"I know you're trying to be nice, but given the current state of the world, I'd have to take that 'Fire Nation soldier' statement as an insult." Sokka stated.

"Right… Well, I am teaching you a Fire Nation way of sword-fighting… Now, up with your sword, Sokka, you're ready for a practice-duel."

They took their stances, facing each other, and on Aang's mark, they clashed swords in a ferocious duel!

Ω £ Ω

Katara and Toph dressed up, prepared to attend a party at the Earth Palace, but as it was nearing dusk, and the boys were still in the chamber, they decided to check up on them with Iroh close behind,

Upon entry, they found Sokka and Zuko tangled up in twisted holds on the ground, with Aang trying desperately, but failing, in separating them! They could probably barely hear him between their shouting. So Iroh intervened and with some help from Aang, they managed to pull them apart.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Iroh exclaimed.

"I was trying to make the sword-fighting lesson by having Sokka duel me, and he goes off and cheats by knocking me in the head with a boomerang!" Zuko exclaimed.

"You said to be resourceful and to use my surroundings! Among my resources was my boomerang!"

"True, but I meant resourceful with your sword! Using your boomerang would've been like my using my Firebending on you!"

"Now that's quite enough out of the both of you! Sokka, you must show respect to your teacher! Prince Zuko, as his teacher, you must give out clear instructions, and make sure that your pupil understands what you expect of him! Now what do the two of you have to say to each other?" Iroh said.

The two lads bowed their heads to each other and apologized; Sokka for hitting him with his boomerang, and Zuko for giving him unclear instructions. Then, Iroh smiled, and just about laughed.

"What's so funny, Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"You might not believe this, but you two are becoming brothers." Iroh told them, looking between Sokka and Zuko. They looked at him as if he'd gone crazy. Finally, Iroh told them: "Brotherhood can come from being a part of the same family or another close bond. You are both young and honorable warriors seeking to better yourselves by helping each other."

Zuko thought about it for a moment and then told Sokka: "You know what, he might actually be right… It's been years since I've had a sense of joy."

"I don't need some heartfelt speech…" He replied. It seemed that he wanted to add on to that, but he just trailed off.

"Well, if everything's alright now, Katara and I've better get going. We have a party to attend. Aang, Sokka, you guys might want to come too. We'll find a way to sneak you in." Toph stated.

"Zuko, we should return to the tea shop and bring in some extra change." Iroh stated.

Ω £ Ω

Toph couldn't get inside using her family name, but Katara managed to fool a man, Long Feng, into thinking that they had parents inside, waiting for them, but her 'blind cousin' lost their invitations. He escorted them inside, the problem was shaking him off. He refused to leave them alone until they found their parents, making it impossible for them to sneak Aang and Sokka in.

So Aang and Sokka had to improvise, and they ended up dressing as busboys and snuck inside. Soon enough, they met up with Toph and Katara. Toph found Aang with ease because she recognized his footsteps.

They wandered about the party in search for the Earth King, but it was hard to distinguish one fancy person from another. They did get a nice look at the bear.

At some point, Joo Dee discovered them and told them that they had to go, otherwise they'd put her in big trouble… as if they cared. She tried to push them out of the palace but the force made Aang spill the contents on a lady. He told her not to shout, and he air-blasted her dry. She looked like a wreck, but she wasn't upset about it at all; rather, she simply said: "Oh, I didn't know that the Avatar would be here!"

Joo Dee realized that this was a problem beyond her now and ran off, while Sokka told Aang to keep the others occupied. So Aang happily gave a bending performance, one that pleased everyone and Bosco the Bear!

When the Earth King showed up, Aang rode his air scooter to meet him, but he didn't realize that the Dai Li agents had captured his friends. Long Feng met with Aang, and told him to come with him to the library where his friends were awaiting him.

Ω £ Ω

Jet entered the tea shop with a vase of a small bouquet of flowers in it and put it on his table. When Zuko came up to him to take his order, he asked Jet: "Are you expecting someone?"

"Actually, I brought it as a little gesture of thanks to you. Since you haven't ratted me out about my nightly activities, I've since managed to bring warm blankets, fresh food, medicine, and new clothes to about thirty houses by now. I've seen those families since and they're looking much better now. Also, apart from Kai Li and my Freedom Fighters, you're the only one that I'd really consider a friend."

Zuko looked at the arrangement, it was mostly made up of orange and yellow lilies and some bamboo shoots.

"Thanks." He stated.

"So, may I have some of your uncle's famous tea? I'm in the mood for something on the sweeter side tonight."

"You just leave it to me, young man!" Iroh called out from the kitchen.

Another moment later, a young lady walked in and locked eyes with Zuko for a moment and smiled. With Jet being the only other customer for the moment, he approached her and asked: "Are you ready to order?"

"I'd like some jasmine tea, please" She replied. Zuko nodded and brought the order to his uncle and took Jet's order to his table.

"Hey, Li, would you mind if I asked you how you got that scar?" Jet asked.

"You just did." Zuko replied.

"So, what happened?" Jet asked.

"I got into a fight with a Firebender and I lost, but I managed to get away, giving a nice scar on the cheek just before I turned and left." Zuko replied.

Ω £ Ω

So, based on what Long Feng was saying, the Earth King was more of a figurehead or a puppet to Long Feng, and the only concerns Ba Sing Se had was the preservation of their cultural heritage, and that it was forbidden to mention the war, or anything connected to it for that matter. Aang then threatened that he'll make sure that everyone would know about the war, but then Long Feng told them that because of that, they'll be put under constant surveillance by the Dai Li.

"If you mention the war to anyone, you'll be expelled from the city. I understand that you're looking for your Bison, it would be a shame if you were not able to compete your quest. Now Joo Dee will escort you home."

A woman came in and said that she was Joo Dee, but even Toph could tell by the vibrations alone that this was not the same woman. Although she seemed to act like her.

"Hello, I am Joo Dee, I'll be your host as long as you are in our wonderful city."

Ω £ Ω

Zuko and Iroh were already waiting for them when the others returned, and they told them everything that they found out about Long Feng and the Dai Li.

"Something's amiss for sure in this city. This sounds like you're on the verge on discovering a conspiracy." Iroh stated.

Zuko looked to Sokka, and asked to speak with him alone. Sokka glanced to Katara and Aang and shrugged his shoulders, he got up and followed Zuko, not to another room, but to their secret chamber.

"What's on your mind?" Sokka asked as they sat down on the ground.

"I've been doing a bit of thinking since you guys took on the drill at the Outer Wall. Given those who are after you and the Avatar, there'll come a time when I must fight with you. However, should Azula be present, I'll have to make a choice. If I decide to fight against the Fire Nation, I'll be marked a traitor."

"Aren't you that already?" Sokka asked.

"Well, _we_ know that, but the Fire Nation doesn't! Now, if I choose to fight _with_ Azula, at the right time, then I might be welcomed back home, and should that happen, I might be able to send you guys some inside information." Zuko told him. Sokka's eyes went wide, but his face gradually turned to that of someone plotting a big surprise attack.

"I don't like the idea of you turning against us, but if you're willing to risk yourself to help us out, then I can see things working out. If you do have to turn on us during a fight, it would be best if you started fighting against us for real, don't hold anything back. If we get burned, then that's on both of us. However, you should come up with a signal, something that'll warn the rest of us that you've switched sides.

"I'll come up with something…. A new Firebending form, something a bit over-the-top so you'll notice it." Zuko replied.

"Good, should we tell the others?" Sokka asked.

"Everyone but my uncle. If I could convince Iroh that I've betrayed everyone, Azula would be fully convinced that I'm on her side. When I've returned to the Fire Nation, we'll use messenger hawks for correspondence."

"I like the way you think. Now, how're we going to meet up again?"

"You plan on invading the Fire Nation on the eclipse, so I'll escape then." Zuko replied.

"Provided if you even have to, remember." Sokka told him.

Ω £ Ω

After telling Aang, Toph, and Katara about their new plan, they found that they didn't like the idea of Zuko turning on them, but they agreed that it was a good idea to have an inside man.

Late in the night, Zuko heard the sound of footsteps in the house, and they didn't sound like those of his friends. There where multiple pairs of feet and they moved all sneaky-like. Zuko got up and lit an oil lamp and stepped out of his room, his dual swords in hand.

He saw the intruders and raised his lamp, and was ready for a fight, when he told them: "Stop right there!"

They froze.

Zuko step towards them, and saw their faces.

"Jet, what are you doing?" Zuko asked.

"We were trying to find some loot to bring back to the Lower Ring. I didn't know that this place was yours! Please, Lee, I am so sorry!" He replied, looking over to Smellerbee and Longshot.

"When you travel with the Avatar as honored guests, they see to it that you're treated well… There's not much in the way of blankets and clothes for you to take here, but I can give you a sack of food." Zuko told him.

"You're not upset?" Jet asked.

"Oh, I am, I was having a good night's sleep until you came in, but I'm not going to call the guards on you." Zuko told him as he put together a sack of food to spare. He passed it off to Jet and told him: "Now get out before the others wake up!"

"Thanks, Lee, I owe you one!" Jet told him. Then he and his friends took off into the night.

Ω £ Ω

 **Are you excited? I'm curious to know what you guys are looking forward to, because the next chapter will be based on the episode 'Tales of Ba Sing Se'.**


	9. Chapter 9: Tales of Ba Sing Se

**IX: Tales of Ba Sing Se**

 **Ω £ Ω Girls' Day Out Ω £ Ω**

Everyone took a bath that morning and freshened themselves up for the day. Sokka shaved his puberty moustache, Aang shaved the top of his head, and Zuko took off a couple of patches on his jaw. After Katara had fixed her hair she went to the bedroom to wake up Toph, she rose, but her hair was a chaotic mess, and she had a little dirt on her… everywhere.

"You call it dirt, I call it a healthy, protective layer of earth!" Toph told her.

"You know what you need, a girls' day out!" Katara told her.

"Do I have to?" She asked in a sullen voice.

"Come on, Toph, we'll go out right after breakfast." Katara stated. They sat around the table, while Aang and Zuko helped to set it.

Ω £ Ω

After breakfast, Katara took a few coins and dragged Toph to…

"The Fancy Ladies Day Spa? Sounds awfully girly."

"Are you ready for some serious pampering?" Katara asked her.

"Suuure, so long as they don't touch my feet." She replied.

There was a bit of an issue with a foot file. Toph thrashed about until a few other ladies had her pinned down as they filed away at her calluses. It came to the point where she couldn't take it anymore and she threw the filer across the room with Easthbending!

"Sorry." The girls said weakly.

Mud baths went a lot better, They were relaxed and wearing face masks with cucumber slices on their eyes. Toph bent the clay mask to make a funny face and scared the towel lady there! Both she and Katara had a good laugh out of that.

They fished off with a trip to a relaxing sauna, and a makeover.

"Well that was fun, normally I'm not into that kind of stuff, but I actually feel pretty."

"I'm glad you had a good time. It's nice to just be girls for a while." Katara replied. As they walked down the street a trio of other girls walked past them and said: "Wow, great makeup."

"Thanks." Toph told them, she was happy. They crossed a bridge, and one of the girls added: "For a clown!" and her friends laughed.

"Don't listen to them." Katara told Toph.

"She reminds me of that time you dressed up your pet poodle-monkey." Another girl stated, again her friends laughed.

"Come on." Katara told Toph.

"No, no, that was funny! You know what else is funny?" Toph said. She then put a hole in the bridge, under the girls' feet, and they fell into the stream. Katara looked at them with a smile on her face that said: _instant karma right there for you, you brats,_ and she bent the water to wash them away!

"Those girls had no idea what they were talking about." Katara said.

"I'm not bothered, one of the perks about being blind is that I don't care what I look like, or what other people think." Toph replied, but she did begin to look upset.

"Hey, I know it's not important, but you're really pretty."

"Thanks… I'd return the compliment, but I have no idea what you look like." Toph stated. Katara giggled, and they went off to have a little ladies lunch.

 **Ω £ Ω Iroh's Day Ω £ Ω**

The next morning, Zuko told his friends: "Listen, guys, today would've been the day of my late cousin's birthday, I'm sure that I don't need to ask you guys this, but would you keep a little extra nice to my uncle?"

The others nodded and they prepared breakfast, mostly eggs with rice and hot sauce, and a side of oranges.

Iroh joined them for a while and then went out about his day, to do a little shopping. He bought a lunch basket from a vendor, and taught him how to tend to his moon flower by sliding it back into the shade where it bloomed.

A little ways later on, as he was looking at a stand selling musical instruments, he heard the sound of a child crying, and he set to soothe him with a little song of a brave soldier boy while playing one of the instruments. Once the boy had calmed down, he wished him and his mother a good day and continued on his way.

Iroh stopped again when he saw some young Earthbenders playing a ball game, they were doing well, until the ball came flying at his head! He ducked, and the ball broke the window. He told the boys that it's more honorable to admit mistakes and to seek forgiveness, but when the massive homeowner threatened to break _them_ Iroh told them: "But not this time, RUN!" and everyone ran like the wind out of the scene! Iroh ducked into an alleyway where a man held a knife to him; however, Iroh wasn't intimidated, for the man trying to rob him stood with a weak stance. In fact, Iroh showed him how to give a more intimidating stance, but realized that the man was just a confused soul desperate to just make ends meet. They sat together for a pot of tea, and Iroh told him some things that he needed to hear, for once this stranger had someone who believed in him!

Ω £ Ω

Zuko spent his afternoon at the tea shop to scrape up some spare change because he wanted to get a little something nice for his uncle, and to his luck, Jet came in just as he was serving the young lady from a couple days before.

"Ah, afternoon, Jet, anything interesting going on in the flower shop?" Zuko asked.

"Old Lady Kai Li has a new marketing scheme. Lately we've gotten some rarer and more exotic plants, and she's hoping that they would help her to attract a wealthier crowd." Jet replied.

"Yeah, anything particularly interesting?"

"Well there's vases of panda lilies, and we've got a lovely specimen of a white dragon bush."

"A white dragon bush? How much is it?" Zuko asked.

"No offense, but it's not something that a simple tea shop clerk can afford." Jet replied.

"I don't really want the whole plant, but some leaves. Uncle says that it brews a delicious tea, and he's been like a father figure to me these past few years, and I figure that this would be a nice gift for him. Come on, Jet, you owe me!" Zuko told him. Jet nodded and replied: "Alright, I'll get you some leaves."

Jet went off without ordering, but it wasn't too long before he returned with a pouch of leaves, enough to brew a couple pots of tea.

"I've also collected some seeds, believe it or not. Go on and plant them." Jet told him

Ω £ Ω

At the end of his trip, Iroh set up a memorial for Lu Ten, wishing him a happy birthday, and sang the song of the brave soldier boy as he wept for him. When he collected himself, he enjoyed a quiet meal from his basket under a blossoming tree. It was relaxing and peaceful, but as the sun sank low into the sky it was time to return to the house.

Upon his return, he found a few little surprises, first off, Aang offered to play a round of Pai Sho with him, which Iroh joyfully accepted, and while they played their game, Katara fixed up some dinner. After Iroh had kicked Aang's butt in their game, Zuko passed over the pouch Jet gave him.

"Uh, Zuko, what's with the leaves?" Iroh asked.

"Jet came into the tea shop today and told me that the flower shop was getting some rare plants, he gave me a pouch of those leaves and some seeds from the same plant. Those leaves are from the white dragon bush!" He declared. The look on Iroh's face was priceless! His eyes went wide with shock and awe, while his mouth gave an utterly joyous smile! He snatched up Zuko by the shirt and hugged him tightly before making a mad dash for his teapot!

The tea brewed from the leaves was indeed something remarkable, there was a honey-like sweetness, a fruity tartness, and cool freshness like mint (but without the mint flavor), and Iroh was happy to share it with everyone! All in all it was a fine day today.

 **Ω £ Ω Playing with Fire Ω £ Ω**

Later in the night, Toph approached Zuko and told him: "I'm ready to take up on that duel you offered. Are you?"

Zuko followed Toph to the chamber, and Sokka, Katara, and Aang went down to watch things go down. Toph and Zuko were already known to be strong fighters, but how would they match against each other?

"Perhaps we should lay down some ground rules first. If my feet get burned, it would be like you going blind." Toph stated.

"Agreed, and you could easily crush me." Zuko stated. He motioned punches and kicks he could use for bending, and Toph noted that she could feel his movements, and so when Zuko threw a punch, she was able to sense it and move out of the way of a projectile. However, as an extra precaution, Toph covered herself in light earth armor so she could be protected but free to move.

They took their stances and Toph kicked up three large rocks and threw them towards Zuko, one at a time, and he dodged them all, returning Toph a short chain of shots with half a dozen punches, Toph dodged most of them, but took one to the chest.

"Whoa! I'm okay!" Toph called out. She stomped the ground and a pillar shot out under Zuko's feet, launching him into the air!

Before Zuko landed, Toph heard this 'FWOOSH' sound that she associated with Firebending. Although Zuko had disappeared from her for a moment, she knew that Zuko had sent something her way. So she pulled up a wall of earth around her, and sensed that the fire had struck it. A short moment later, she felt a series of vibrations when Zuko landed, and heard his feet hit the ground. So Toph split off a chunk of her wall and sent it hurtling his way!

To avoid being crushed, Zuko used his bending to propel himself to the side, providing some pretty interesting vibrations for Toph to pick up on. She felt him try to circle around her, and so she put up a wall in his path, to which Zuko crashed into and hit the floor!

However, Zuko was quick to throw a band of fire at Toph to dodge or block, to give himself time to get back on his feet, and he launched himself into the air with his bending to fly over to another part of the chamber. Toph sent rocks flying his way, but Zuko glided across the floor in zigzags to dodge them. What he didn't realize though was that he was heating up the floor. In fact it didn't really occur to the others that the heat from Zuko's bending was still lingering. So at some point, when Toph jumped back to avoid one of Zuko's projectiles, but she landed on a hot spot on the floor and cried out as she felt her feet get burned!

Zuko ran to her apologizing profusely, and then he carried her over to Katara where she could start treating her.

"I'm sorry I hit you." Zuko told her.

"Actually, you didn't, I burned my feet on a spot of floor that you'd heated up when you were gliding around. I'll forgive you eventually." Toph replied.

"Luckily for you, Toph, I got to this right away, but you'll still need another treatment. We should get her back in the house and get a tub of water for her to soak her feet." Katara told them.

Ω £ Ω

As they fell asleep that night, Momo was sleeping in Sokka's bag, when he found a tuft of white fur inside it. With a little sniff, he recognized Appa's scent, and he flew off on a little adventure on his own trying to find his ten ton friend. He ran into things that tricked his eyes, and some stray cats that tried to eat him. However, when he and the cats got captured at one point, he freed everyone from their cages and the cats led him to a massive paw print of Appa's in the city.

 **Ω £ Ω Zuko Gets a Date Ω £ Ω**

While Katara, Aang, and Toph were out getting posters printed for Appa's search, Sokka was with Zuko and Iroh at the tea shop.

A regular came in again, it was the young lady, seen several times before. They even picked up that her name was Jin, and as she sat down, she locked eyes with Zuko. Suspicious of her, Zuko went over to his uncle and told him that he suspected that she might be on to the fact that they were of the Fire Nation.

"Ah, yes, I've seen that girl around, but I believe that she has something else on her mind." Iroh told Zuko.

Sokka went over to Jin to take her order, but she asked him: "Would it be alright if the other waiter takes my order?"

Sokka shrugged his shoulders, and tagged Zuko in.

After Jin had received her tea and had finished it, she went up to make her payment, just as Sokka was bringing in some dishes.

"Thank you for the tea." Jin stated.

"You're welcome." Zuko stated. Jin then tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear, and then she spoke: "So, I was wondering if, perhaps, you'd like to go out some time."

The proposal took Sokka by such a surprise that he dropped his tray and broke a cup and saucer! He looked between Zuko and Jin with his eyes wide and his jaw dropped!

"He'd love to!" Iroh answered for Zuko.

"Great, I can meet you here tonight!" Jin told them.

Ω £ Ω

"ZUKO'S GOT A DATE!" Sokka called out as they returned home, the others had already put up the posters.

"Hey, Sokka, come on, did you really have to announce that!?" Zuko exclaimed.

"A date, Zuko, is that true?" Katara asked. He rolled his eyes back and gave an exasperated sigh, but he nodded: "Yes, and the date's tonight."

While the other kids were sniggering a bit, Katara was actually a bit concerned for him.

"Zuko, when was the last time you went out with a girl?" Katara asked.

"I-I've actually never been on a real date before. I was banished when I was thirteen, and before that I was a bit young for dating." He replied.

"What?!" Aang exclaimed.

"Really, you'd do that?" Zuko questioned. Katara nodded, and she told Zuko to set up the table while she prepared a pot of soup and some white rice for them to munch on. In the meantime the others watched them.

Katara and Zuko sat across each other and Katara asked: "So Lee, where are you from?"

"Umm… we've been traveling around a lot, until recently."

"Oh, well, where were you from originally?" Katara asked. It became clear now to Zuko that she was telling him to come up with a background story for himself.

"Well, I was born in one of the older Fire Nation colonies."

"The colonies, huh? That must've been an interesting childhood." Katara remarked.

"It wasn't too bad, but after being harassed by soldiers, I took a stand against them…"

"Is that how you got your scar?"

"Y-Yes…" Zuko replied. He twiddled his thumbs for a moment and then told Katara, as she ate up some rice: "You look nice tonight."

"Well thank you. So Lee, I don't leave the city much, but what's it like to travel the world?"

"Actually, I've been on the run for most of my travels… It's hard to just stop and enjoy what's around you when you're so concerned for your safety or when your next meal is. When I did have the chance to just rest for a while, it was nice." Zuko replied.

"So, how did you end up working at a tea shop?"

"It was my uncle's idea, he loves tea, whether if it's drinking it or sharing it with others."

"How would he like his own tea shop?" Katara asked.

"I think that he might just faint if an opportunity came up to him." Zuko replied.

"Well, Zuko, I think that you're going to do just fine with your date. Lee's got a decent backstory now, and it's always a safe compliment to tell a girl she looks nice." Katara stated.

"It was honest." He replied.

Ω £ Ω

After Zuko had gotten dressed for his date, Iroh called him back to do his hair for him.

"Actually, Iroh, Zuko's hair looks fine." Katara stated.

"Fine, then go, Prince Zuko, and here's some money for the date.

Ω £ Ω

Zuko met Jin right outside the tea shop, and as they walked over to a restaurant she picked out, they were just about to pass Kai Li's flower shop. Zuko took a brief glance into the window, and saw Jet watering some of the plants. They stepped inside to say 'hello' and Zuko bought Jin a lovely flower she could wear in her hair.

During their dinner, it turned out that practicing with Katara really paid off. The backstory he came up with her came in handy as she did ask about where he came from, and in return for his answers, she told him stories of her childhood.

After dinner, she took him to see these lanterns, and was utterly dumbfounded when she saw that they weren't lit. Zuko told her to close her eyes, and he quickly lit them with his Firebending. He was glad to see her happy, and for the fact that she didn't question how they were lit so quickly.

They didn't kiss at the end, instead Zuko gave her a coupon for her next visit at the tea shop, and they parted ways.

Ω £ Ω

Zuko stormed into the house and retreated to a bedroom.

"How was your date?" Iroh asked.

"It was nice." Zuko replied, peeking through the door.

Later on, when Zuko and Iroh were sitting together, playing Pai Sho, Aang spoke up: "So there's something on my mind."

"What is it, young Avatar?" Iroh asked in his gentle voice.

"When Ozai is removed from the throne, you two stand to succeed him, and just tonight, you mentioned the Fire Nation colonies. Do you think that after the war, and we win, you'd be able to retract them?" Aang asked. Iroh and Zuko exchanged looks, and Zuko told him: "I might be done without much fuss for the newer colonies, but there are some that are older than you, Aang. The Fire Nation citizens there may've been there for, easily, four or five generations."

"But, to leave those colonies there, when the four nations are supposed to be separate, we may just have another war on top of this one!" Aang exclaimed.

Before answering, Zuko took a deep breath to clear his mind, and then collect his thoughts. Finally he spoke: "Aang, you say that the four nations are supposed to be separate."

"Yes."

"You are also the last Air Nomad, Airbender, right?"

"Well yeah."

"Then Aang, how're you supposed to find love when your morale won't allow you to find someone outside of your nationality?" Zuko asked. Aang sat back and thought about it, and then Iroh put in: "The colony of Yu Dao is one of the most successful cities in the world as far as business is concerned. Perhaps you should visit it sometime, and see how the people of the Earth Kingdom are getting along with the Fire Nation there. Or better yet, young Avatar, you should look about this house, in this house alone you have: Air Nomad, Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and Water Tribe… Don't you think that we're all getting along just fine?"

"Yeah, I suppose we've been getting along nicely, a few mishaps, but that's to be expected with a large group." Aang stated.

"Rest now, young Avatar, and remember that the colonies are a problem for another time." Iroh told him.

Ω £ Ω

 **Okay, I hope you enjoyed that. Also, thanks so much for all the responses on the previous chapter; I didn't realize that it would be such a hit with you guys!**

 **So here's an AUTHOR'S QUESTION: What's been your favorite part of the story so far? Why?**


	10. Chapter 10: Found

**X: Found**

Now that the posters of Appa were all about town Aang paced about the house in excitement in the hopes that someone would come knocking with word about Appa. Katara told him to have patience and that it would eventually reward him. To his delight, a knock came from the door, and he opened it up with excitement only to find that the original Joo Dee came over to visit.

"Joo Dee?!" The others exclaimed.

 **"** What happened to you? Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?" Sokka asked.

 **"** What, jail? Of course not. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage." Joo Dee replied, holding her ever-present eerie smile

 **"** But you disappeared at the Earth King's party." Toph stated.

 **"** Oh, I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country. It was quite relaxing" Joo dee told them, they looked at her with suspicion in their eyes, Zuko and Sokka especially.

 **"** But then they replaced you with some other woman who also said her name was Joo Dee." Katara told her.

 **"** _I'm_ Joo Dee."

 **"** Why are you here?" Aang asked. Joo Dee pulled out one of the Appa posters and told them: "Dropping flyers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city. Not without proper clearance."

"We can't wait around to get permission for everything." Sokka told her in annoyance. With that same stupid smile, Joo Dee replied: "You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters." This infuriated Aang, to the point where his face had gone red and steaming, until he finally got in her stupid face and shouted: "WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE RULES, AND WE'RE NOT ASKING PERMISSON! We're finding Appa on our own and _you_ should just stay out of our way!" Then he slammed the door on Joo Dee.

 **"** That might come back to bite us in the blubber." Sokka stated.

"I don't care. From now on we do whatever it takes to find Appa." Aang replied.

"ALRIGHT LET'S BREAK SOME RULES!" Toph declared.

"Don't Earthbend the house, we still need it!" Zuko exclaimed. His head turned and he found Iroh getting ready to return to the tea shop. So he followed after him. While the others were to scour the city again in search for the flying bison.

Ω £ Ω

When they got to the tea shop, Jet was already there, waiting for them it seemed. Zuko was quick to serve him and then he said to him: "You've gotten a lot done since you've been here, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I've helped dozens of families, by borrowing things from those more fortunate." Jet replied. Zuko leaned in close and told him: "The Avatar is missing his bison. I'm thinking that you might be of some help."

"Sure, I'll look all over the city for the Avatar if it means helping him to defeat the Fire Nation, and Smellerbee and Longshot should be able to help out as well. Although it would help if we had a trail to follow." Jet replied. A few seconds later, some well dressed men entered the tea shop and placed an order directly to Iroh.

Zuko returned his attention to Jet and told him: "I think that the Dai Li is hiding something from the Avatar, and just this morning our 'host' told us that she took a short vacation to Lake Laogai,, but it was under suspicious circumstances. If you find anything, seek him, not me."

"Why?" Jet asked.

"I'll search for the bison on my own." Zuko replied.

"So _you're_ the genius behind this incredible brew. The whole city is buzzing about you. I hope Pao pays you well!" One of the well dressed men declared, looking to Iroh. Pao, the shop owner became alert.

 **"** Good tea is its own reward." Iroh replied.

 **"** But it doesn't have to be the only reward. How would you like to have your own tea shop?" The man replied.

 **"** My own tea shop? This is a dream come true!" Iroh said, stunned.

Pao threw himself between Iroh and the well dressed man: "What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea maker?"

 **"** Sorry Pao, that's business for you, am I right?"

"Mushi, if you stay, I will make you Assistant Manager. Wait, Senior Assistant manager!" Pao told him, panicked.

 **"** I'll provide you with a new home in the upper ring. The tea shop is yours to do whatever you want. Complete creative freedom." The well dressed man told Iroh.

 **"** I even get to name the shop?" Iroh asked.

 **"** Of course!"

 **"** Uh, Senior _Executive_ Assistant Manager?" Pao said, desperately. Without Iroh, his tea shop would just about be done for. However, Pao couldn't even give Iroh his shop in order to make him stay. So Iroh silently took off his apron and gave it to Pao.

Zuko looked over to Iroh and gave a small smile.

"Well, how about that, it looks like your uncle has some good times coming. Thanks for the tea again, Lee. I'll see you around." Jet stated. Zuko followed him out as they left.

To their luck, they met up with the others within a few moments. Jet put on a cheerful face and told them: "Hey, so Lee clued me in about your sky bison, Aang, well the Freedom Fighters will be at your disposal."

"Thank you, Jet, we could use the help." Aang replied. He looked to Zuko and asked him: "Are you coming too?"

"Not right now, Aang; believe it or not, Uncle just got an offer for his own tea shop!" Zuko replied.

Ω £ Ω

That night, while Aang and the gang were out with Jet and the Freedom Fighters, Zuko donned his Blue Spirit mask and built a decoy of his character. He snuck his way through the city and set the decoy up in the alley. He waited in the street for a Dai Li agent to pass by.

Once one did, Zuko pushed past him and snarled: "Out of my way, Skinny!"

Zuko ducked into the alley, the Dai Li agent fell for his decoy. When the agent took out the decoy, Zuko snuck up behind him and crossed his swords across his chest and told him: "If you don't want to end up like him. You'll do what I say."

With no other alternative, the agent led Zuko to Lake Laogai and opened the entryway. Zuko tossed him aside and entered the underground, and searched until he would find a holding cell large enough to hold a ten ton bison.

Ω £ Ω

Team Avatar and the Freedom Fighters tracked the Dai Li to Lake Laogai, and Toph opened the entryway and they clamored inside to look around. There they found some secrets, from the Dai Li training, to a whole flock of Joo Dee's being initiated, repeating the phrases an agent told them.

Upon entering a chamber, the door slammed shut behind them! Long Feng stepped into the light telling them: "You have made yourselves enemies of the state! Take them into custody."

The Dai Li drop down to the floor, encircling the heroes. Two agents launch a stone fist attack, but Toph disintegrated them in mid-flight. As the dust clears, she launched them across the room with a pair of rock pillars.

Behind her, Jet turns and rushes another pair, cutting their stone fist projectiles from the air. Sliding along the ground past the first, he trips the second with his hook sword, slamming him hard to the ground.

Long Feng watched as Aang dealt with two more of his Dai Li with Air and Earthbending. Katara and Sokka managed to destroy two more of the glove projectiles before being seized by two more. Toph intervened with a stone wall before they can be drug to the waiting Dai Li. They send a rush of stone towards Toph, but she rose high into the cavern on a pillar of rock, forcing them to pursue her the same way.

Two more Dai Li race up the walls to either side of her, to strike out at Toph with horizontal columns of stone. High in the cavern, Toph swats aside the first two agents, then leaps to avoid the two columns as they crash together beneath her. Landing atop them, she bent up a pair of stone blocks from the columns, using them to drive away both of the remaining agents simultaneously. A fist of stone grabs the back of her shirt, and she is hauled through the air toward a waiting Dai Li. Jet intervenes at the last moment. Leaping past he hooks her belt with his sword, pulling her to safety as the agent kicks a stone foot attack after them. Longshot covers them as they land, intercepting the missile with one of his arrows. Joined by two of his brethren, the Dai Li retaliate with three fist attacks at Longshot, but Jet cuts them from the air with a whirlwind of slashes.

Meanwhile Long Feng fled from the room, sealing a stone door behind him. Back at the battle, Aang lands and blows two Dai Li aside with a burst of air.

 **"** Long Feng is escaping!" Aang called out. He chased after him, but he managed to elude him.

"Come on, we need to keep going!" Sokka called out.

They tried another cell, but this one was only filled with large manacles and tufts of shed fur from a flying bison.

"Appa's gone! Long Feng must've beat us here." Aang said.

"If we keep moving, maybe we can catch up with him." Sokka told them, and with that they turned and ran back outside.

The Dai Li caught up with them, this time the Dai Li made a full box around them, entrapping everyone, and so they would have to stay and fight with the Dai Li, lest they wanted to be arrested.

Momo circled down and trilled to Aang.

"What is it Momo?" Aang asked.

They heard a roar in the sky, they looked up and…

"APPA!" Aang cried out in joy.

Appa crashed through one of the walls, and they saw that he wasn't along, there was someone riding him, someone Aang recognized. It was Zuko, wearing a mask, brandishing his dual swords. When Appa landed, Zuko dismounted and everyone started swinging. The benders with their bending, Sokka with his club and boomerang, and the Freedom Fighters with their weapons. Toph threw some agents into the water, Katara whipped and threw them as well, but at some point during this tangle, Zuko was surrounded and the Dai Li nailed his clothes to the cliff by throwing stone spikes at him, he could only move an arm and a leg, and as the Dai Li advanced, Zuko had to make a critical choice, either get arrested, or…

He used his bending!

The Dai Li agents backed off, and Long Feng looked at the Blue Spirit, horrified. Jet had also seen the flames.

"YOU'RE FIRE NATION!" Jet shouted and he advanced towards Zuko.

"NO! JET STOP, HE'S ON OUR SIDE!" Aang pleaded as he blew agents into the lake, but Jet didn't listen as he continued to push through the crowd, shoving both friend and foe out of his way.

"OW! JET, NO, PLEASE STOP, HE'S FIGHTING ON OUR SIDE!" Smellerbee cried out

"HE'S FIRE NATION!" He growled as he pushed her to the ground.

Zuko drove the agents away from him, but that only thinned out the obstacles between him and Jet. He took his mask and ripped it from his face, hoping that if Jet recognized him, he would stop his advancement. However, instead, Jet felt betrayed, all along his friend had been a treacherous Firebender, and his mind was consumed with a rage that drove him insane!

Time felt as if it had slowed down for Zuko, and the sounds seemed to fall silent as Jet made his approach, pushing everyone who tried to stop him: his Freedom Fighters, Team Avatar, and Dai Li agents. Zuko threw a fireball past him as a warning shot, but Jet didn't break his stride as he stopped before Zuko and raised his curved swords up, his face contorted and twisted with rage and madness, as he prepared to deliver the final blow!

It was a choice between Jet and himself. So with a heavy heart Zuko raised his hand, and burned a hole straight through Jet's heart.

Jet fell dead.

Overwhelmed, the Dai Li retreated and Appa had thrown Long Feng into the lake. Toph pulled out the stone spikes to free Zuko, and he just collapsed to all fours. He looked up, his eyes filled with sorrow and remorse, but in the eyes of the others, he saw fear, save for Toph, since she couldn't see.

Sokka was the first to come to his senses, and he helped Zuko get back up to his feet, and a look at his face revealed that he was weeping. Sokka walked him over to Appa, and they mounted with Katara and Aang following suit, they asked Toph to use her Earthbending to bury Jet before climbing on board.

"We're sorry, Smellerbee, Longshot, that we have to part ways like this." Sokka stated, and they took flight.

Ω £ Ω

 **I've been waiting to write that last scene for a while.**

 **Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11: King

**XI: King**

As they flew onward, there was some debate as to what to do: Go and infiltrate the King's palace, or go home. Why go home? Well, they were concerned about Zuko. There was always a spark in his eye that flickered with his emotions, but now it just seemed like it was gone, no raging inferno of anger, no gentle flame of calmness, or a stuttering flicker of sorrow, it was just gone.

Still, Sokka persuaded them to go straight to the Earth King they had Long Fen on the run, and they got Appa back, they might as well make it to the finish line. So they flew straight to the palace, laid waste to all the guards, broke down the king's fancy door, and ran inside bearing their weapons!

So, naturally, Earth King Kuei wasn't exactly quick to trust these kids when they told him that they were here to help and were trustworthy, especially since Long Feng was there to tell the King that they were there to overthrow him.

"You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to _trust_ you?" He questioned.

"He does have a point." Toph stated.

"If you're on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down." The King told them. So they dropped their weapons, with Aang stating: "See, we're friends, your Earthiness!"

However, Long Feng ordered the Dai Li. to detain them, and so they tied their hands back.

"But we dropped our weapons! We're your allies!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Make sure that the Avatar and his friends never see daylight again." Long Feng ordered the Dai Li

"The Avatar? _You're_ the Avatar?" Kuei questioned, looking at Sokka.

"Uh, no, he is." Sokka replied, nodding his head over to Aang.

"Over here!" Aang told him, showing his hands, and then bending his stone cuffs to keep himself bound.

"What does it matter, your Highness? They're enemies of the state, and my men have discovered that one of them is a dangerous Firebender." Long Feng spoke.

"Hmm, perhaps you're right." Kuei replied. However, his pet bear approached Aang and gave him a sniff and a couple licks. Kuei smiled and decided that since Bosco seemed to like him, then he would hear them out.

Aang told the King about the war that had been going on for 100 years with the Fire Nation, and Long Feng's conspiracy to control him and the city. Even going into detail that Long Feng had stolen his Bison. The King was hesitant, but they proved that Appa bit him, but that didn't prove the conspiracy.

So they eventually took the King to see the headquarters for the Dai Li, only to find the entryway had been destroyed, but luckily, they remembered the drill, and there was no time for them to cover that up, and so they showed it to the King, and Long Feng did himself in by saying that the drill was imported as a part of a project because domestic machinery couldn't be trusted.

Now realizing that Team Avatar was telling the truth, he ordered Long Feng to be arrested and he would stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom.

"Looks like Long Feng is long gone!" Sokka called out. "Ha, I've been waiting to use that one."

Ω £ Ω

 **"** I want to thank you, young heroes for opening my eyes. All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis, was merely a city of fools, and that makes me the king fool.We're at war, with the _Fire_ Nation." King Kuei spoke, covering his face with his hand at that last statement.

Sokka stepped forward and told him: "That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, Your Highness. Because we think you can help us end the war."

 **"** We don't have much time. There's a comet coming this summer. Its energy will give the fire benders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable." Aang added.

 **"** But there is hope. Before the comet comes, we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and the Firebenders will be helpless." Sokka continued.

 **"** What are you suggesting, Sokka?" King Kuei asked.

 **"** That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation. The Day of Black Sun."

 **"** I don't know. That would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable." King Kuei told them.

 **"** You're _already_ vulnerable. The Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Sing Se falls. You can either sit back and wait for that to happen, or take the offensive, and give yourself a fighting chance." Sokka replied.

King Kuei mulled things over for a moment before finally agreeing to support them. They were delighted and had a mini celebration, while Zuko stepped off to the side.

A moment later, General How, King Kuei's highest-ranking general, arrived to announce their findings after a search of Long Feng's office. They brought Team Avatar into the office to show them secret files. It turned out that there was a letter to Toph from her mother, a note found attached to Appa's horn from a guru who said he could help Aang master the Avatar State, and an intelligence report from Chameleon Bay.

"Led by Hakoda, it is Dad!" Katara exclaimed.

"I'm sorry that there's nothing for you, young man." King Kuei spoke, as he looked to Zuko.

"It's alright, I wasn't expecting anything anyway." Zuko replied.

The Earth King and General looked at him, and finally Kuei spoke: "Long Feng mentioned that the Avatar had sided with a Firebender, is that true?"

Zuko produced a tiny puff of flame, and then told the King: "I am a Firebender of the Fire Nation, exiled as a disgrace to the nation, sent out to capture the Avatar in order to restore my honor, but instead I've chosen a different path and join him as a friend. If you wish, I'll leave this palace at your command, but know that I am on your side, I give you my word."

"I believe it would be best if you were to leave, and I promise that I won't mention that a Firebender was here to anyone outside this room." Kuei replied. Zuko gave a proper bow and departed to head for their house.

In fact Team Avatar decided to depart altogether, allowing the Earth King to mull things over and to discuss with his general. They also had things to talk over amongst themselves.

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Upon their return home, Iroh immediately met up with the gang, and asked them: "What happened while you were out? Zuko just came in and retreated to a bedroom and shut the door!"

"Iroh, there's something you really must know." Sokka spoke

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Iroh stepped inside Zuko's room with a hot pot of tea and sat down beside him.

"Your friends told me everything, down to the very last detail." He stated, and he passed a cup of tea, Zuko met his eyes, and Iroh saw that he held sorrow. When he looked down, Iroh placed a hand on his shoulder, and told him: "I want you to know how proud of you I am. I am sorry that you had to make such an extreme decision, but you chose to make it at precisely the right time, and to see you show remorse for what you did makes me even prouder, for it shows that your spirit is very human."

"I saw their faces, Uncle, they're scared of me."

"We talked at great length about what happened. Sokka and Toph have come to understand your actions, and believe that you made the right choice."

"What about Katara and the Avatar?"

"They are still coming to terms with what happened… Zuko, when a man turns against his own friends in his quest for vengeance, he has lost all honor; when a man downs his enemy in only in the name of self-defense and last resort, then he is an honorable fighter. I have forgiven your actions, Prince Zuko, now I think that it is time to forgive yourself." Iroh spoke. He got up and left Zuko to his thoughts again.

When he stepped out into the main room, Iroh told the others: "I believe he's doing better, but in order for him to heal completely, he would ask for the forgiveness of everyone."

"The monks have told me that all life is sacred, and that violence is never the answer, that's why I don't eat meat and search for peaceful resolutions… at least when I can help it… but to take a life so that you may save your own, it's a concept that I've hardly ever heard about."

"Well, Aang, lets look at a hypothetical situation: Jet and Zuko are hanging off of a cliff, you're only able to save one, which one do you pick?" Toph asked.

"I suppose that if I could only save one, I'd pick Zuko, he's become a good friend since he joined us." Aang replied.

"Good choice, now when Zuko acted against Jet, he only had two options: Kill Jet, or let Jet kill him, Jet already made up his mind to kill Zuko, so Zuko defended himself the only way he could." Toph explained.

"Aang, the world isn't all lemurs and flying bison. There are also platypus-bears and moose-lions. Sometimes violence is the answer, especially when there are no peaceful options left. We were in a fight between the Dai Li and Long Feng, and Jet turned against us and Zuko when he saw him Firebend because he had no other way to defend himself from the Dai Li agents." Sokka added.

"Katara, why aren't you saying anything?" Aang asked.

"I don't know what else to say. I hate Jet for turning against us, and I hate that Zuko had to resort to that extreme with his bending against a nonbender."

"Hey, Zuko had no other options, he was nailed to a cliff and without his swords. Jet could've listened to us and stopped his approach, but he didn't, and he paid the price." Sokka replied.

"Enough!" Aang exclaimed. He got to his feet and went into the bedroom. There he found Zuko looking up to him, he looked as if he was about to speak, but Aang held up a hand and told him: "Sokka and Toph believe that you made the right decision at Lake Laogai… Growing up the way I did, I cannot fathom using my bending in such a way, but they helped me to understand why you did it, and in all honesty, I like having you here. I'll tell you this though: the monks have taught me that forgiveness is the first step to begin healing. For you, I believe that I can forgive."

"Thanks Aang." Zuko replied.

"However, now I wonder if I would ever want to learn how to bend fire." Aang stated.

Iroh heard this from outside the room, and so stepped inside to tell them: "In the Fire Nation, the ways of bending fire have been corrupted, but if you look to the ruins of the sun warriors, you'll find the true meaning."

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 **Just so you know, at this point we're a few days earlier than the series. That's just the situation.**

 **Please review.**


	12. Chapter 12: Points of Turn

**XII: Points of Turn**

Sokka found Zuko in the training chamber the next morning practicing his bending, he kept his distance and watched his forms; but once Zuko locked eyes with him, he paused to tell him: "I believe I've come up with a good move to signal you guys in case I have to turn against you."

"Great, I'll grab the others so you can show us." Sokka replied. He quickly got up and ran to drag them to the chamber, there Zuko performed a new move where he outstretched his arms, shot two jets of fire, he then brought his hands together and struck them upon the ground, wherein his fire shot across the chamber and flared upwards with a burst!

"I don't need to see in order to say that I don't want to be on the business end of that." Toph stated.

"It's certainly flashy enough to get our attention, Zuko… but are you sure that this is what you want to go with?" Katara asked.

"Yes, something like that should convince the Fire Nation that I'm on their side. You guys are good at avoiding my attacks, so I'm sure that you'll leave the battle in one piece." Zuko replied. Without another word, Katara got up and walked out of the chamber, and with nothing better to do, Toph followed after her.

Sokka got to his feet, and told Zuko: "Listen, Aang's going off to see that guru guy, and I'll be going off to see my dad for the first time in years. Do you want to come with me?"

"You want _me_ the _Fire Prince_ to meet your father?"

"Your uncle said that we were brothers now, you might as well meet the family." Sokka replied.

"Come on you guys, I really need to get going!" Aang told them, and so they ran for Appa.

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They landed at Chameleon Bay and the Tribesmen greeted Sokka cheerfully, before making way for him, gesturing for his father's tent with Zuko at his tail. Sokka stepped inside, and Hakoda looked up with a bright look in his eyes as he spoke his name: "Sokka."

"Hi Dad."

They embraced and they sat down for the moment.

"Who's your friend?" Hakoda asked.

"He's an ally to the Avatar and myself, he's the exiled Fire Prince Zuko." Sokka replied.

Hakoda and his friend, Bato, exchanged looks, but before they could voice an opionion, Zuko told them: "It's an honor to meet you, Sir; Sokka's been the first friend I've had in a long time."

"Hmm, Bato told me that you were traveling with the Avatar, Sokka, but he never mentioned anything about your wandering with the Fire Lord's son." Hakoda stated.

"Back then, he was still our enemy, until one day, when his uncle was wounded, Katara offered to heal his wounds, and Zuko let her. Once we'd helped his uncle, Zuko told us that he wished to join forces. He's been pretty useful too, in fact he's helped me to improve my fighting techniques." Sokka replied.

"Well then, Prince Zuko, if my son can put his trust into you, then I see no reason why I shouldn't. Tell me: how do you want this war to end?"

"With the Fire Nation defeated and with my Uncle or myself taking the throne. In my exile, I've seen that the rest of the world hates and fears the Fire Nation, and so I wish to restore my nation's honor. Perhaps I'd establish trade routes so I could send the nation's innovation and food to the rest of the world." Zuko replied.

"Hmm, I didn't expect the son of the Firelord to have a care about those his nation's hurt." Hakoda stated.

"I assure you that I'm not my father."

"If the time ever comes, Dad, he's willing to be our inside man in the Fire Nation." Sokka added.

" _If the time comes?_ " Hakoda questioned.

"There's been a couple encounters with my sister. If she sees me fighting _with_ the Avatar and his friends, then she'll know that I'm a traitor. If she ever approaches me with a chance to 'regain my honor' she'll expect me to turn against them. I've come up with a signal to let them know that they'll have to fight against me. Once I return to the Fire Nation, I'll communicate with them through messenger hawks."

"I see, well the idea of a Fire Nation spy on our side does have its appeal, especially when that spy is the Fire Lord's son."

"Perhaps I can offer up answers to any questions you may have about the Fire Nation." Zuko added.

"Yeah, that's good, because we've found out some information that we can use to our advantage to make an invasion! There's a solar eclipse coming up that would take away the Firebender's bending!" Sokka declared.

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Back at the Earth Palace, as Katara was discussing the plans for the invasion with General How, three young ladies had arrived, introducing themselves as Kyoshi warriors and friends to the Avatar. They were allowed inside when a guard brought news of them to the war room, and Katara confirmed that the Kyoshi warriors were indeed their friends.

However, without actually meeting them, Katara didn't know the full truth; for these girls were truly imposters! They were Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee.

During the time that Appa was missing, the bison had an encounter with the Kyoshi warriors, where they helped him to get cleaned up after previous encounters since he was stolen. Only Azula attacked the Kyoshi warriors and had them captured.

During the time of their infiltration, Azula figured out that whomever controls the Dai Li can control the city, and started a plot to organize a coup. First off she allowed the Dai Li to find out that they were of the Fire Nation, and they brought her in to see Long Feng, for the Dai Li remained loyal to him.

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Aang met up with the guru, an ancient and bony man with a pleasant voice, and a slight touch of madness. A moment after they had met, the guru offered him up something to drink… A healthy dose of onion-banana juice!

The goal for Aang was to free his chakras of his pains, guilt, and other emotional ties.

They went about the old temple to free up Aang's chakras and become able to control the Avatar State.

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"Thank you, Prince Zuko, for this information." Hakoda stated, after hearing about the Fire Nation's capital city. Zuko bowed his head to him, when Bato came over and told Hakoda: "Chief, we could use some assistance with the tangle mines."

"Very well, I'll be right out. Sokka, Zuko, are you coming?" Hakoda replied.

Getting to his feet, Zuko asked Sokka: "Did that warrior just call your father 'Chief'? As in the ruler of your tribe?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you that my dad is the leader of our tribe?"

"You certainly did not. So, what, does that make you a prince too?" Zuko asked.

"Not in the same since that you are, or even with the leaders of our sister tribe. Although, being the firstborn to the chief does give me an advantage over other men of our tribe, I would have to prove myself worthy of leading the Water Tribe. I think that I might be cut out for the job, but I don't know what I'm going to do right after the war." Sokka stated.

They met up with Hakoda, who told them: "This bay leads directly to the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. We've been using these tangle mines to stop the fire nation ships from getting through."

"Your father invented tangle mines himself." Bato stated as he filled up one of the mines. Sokka stepped over to investigate: "Destructive, buoyant, and… terrible smelling!" He reeled back in disgust after getting a whiff of the fillings.

"Very perceptive. The mines are filled with skunk-fish and seaweed. When a ship detonates the mine, the seaweed tangles up the propeller, and the foul smell forces people to abandon the ship. I call it the stink-n-sink." Hakoda replied.

Sokka lost it: "Ha ha! Good one Dad!"

"You are definitely your father's son." Bato grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Hakoda, our scouts have spotted four fire nation ships!" A soldier called out.

"Bato, get these mines loaded up. The rest of you men, prepare for battle!" Hakoda ordered, and his men took off running to prepare.

"Uh, what should I do, Dad?" Sokka asked, uncertain.

"Aren't you listening? I said the rest of you men get ready for battle!" Kakoda told him. He looked over to Zuko and told him: "You can help out Bato, if you choose, but I don't think it wise for you to come with us. Your face is pretty distinctive, and you don't want to be labled a traitor yet, do you?"

"No, not yet, but it was an honor to meet you." Zuko replied, and he took up one of the mines.

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In answering to her mother's letter, Toph went into a house in hopes that her mother was finally ready to come to understand her. Only to find out that she had walked into a trap set up by Xin Fu and her former Earthbending teacher! They dropped a metal box over her, and began to drag her back home, where she feared that she'd be forced to a sheltered life as a fancy lady once again! She who was a brave warrior-type, forced to remain polite and seemingly helpless, when she was one of the greatest Earthbenders of her time! No, she wouldn't let that happen!

As the two men carried on to drag her back home, she tried to talk them into letting her out so she could go to the bathroom, but they didn't fall for her trick, and so she left to continue banging on the walls of her box, even though the men assured her that despite the big mouth she had as an Earthbender, even she couldn't bend metal!

Were they right?

She continued to bang about in her metal prison, until she noticed that metal was a part of earth! It was the most stubborn part of the most stubborn element, and that's what made it so hard for it to be bent. Still, she saw in the vibrations, there was earth within the metal, and she could bend earth! With another pound, she was able to make it move at her command!

The men heard the crunching of metal and stopped the cart to investigate the sound, only to find that Toph had escaped by discovering Metalbending! The shock of such a discovery had them stupefied, as she proceeded to attack and imprison them in that dreaded box! Those dunderheads would never learn her secret!

Now free, and those two out of her way, Toph made her strides to return to the city of Ba Sing Se. She didn't like the large city, but it would be better than going home!

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With the mines loaded up, Zuko had returned to the city on his own, where he ventured into the Jasmine Dragon to assist his uncle. He was quite busy, as rumors had spread quickly of a new master tea-maker with a stunning shop. He smiled when he saw how both worn-out and how happy his uncle was, and took up the role of waiting tables.

During the shift, one of the Kyoshi warriors had stopped in to place an order. It was Mai, and although Zuko didn't recognize her underneath all the makeup and the uniform, she certainly recognized him. She was there when he got his scar, and she had never forgotten his face when it was intact. Of course, when she had finished her tea, she took it upon herself to tell Azula that Zuko was in the city.

"Dear Zuzu, is here? This is perfect! He'll certainly be an asset once we're ready to take the city!" Azula declared.

"But, Azula, what if Long Feng tries to double-cross you?" Ty Lee asked.

"Don't worry, he won't be a problem, of this, I assure you." Azula replied.

She stepped outside their room to make certain that she knew the layout of the entire palace and its underground, only to have a chance encounter with Katara, the filthy Water-Tribe peasant!

Of course, Katara recognized Azula's voice, and neither of them could stand to lose against the other! So of course they broke out into a fight, but eventually Ty Lee was able to arrive in time to chi-block Katara to the point where she was defenseless!

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Just when Aang was about ready to master the Avatar State, he got a vision of Katara getting caught up in a fight, with her in danger, he turned away from the guru and set out to rescue her, stopping only to gather Toph and Sokka on the way back!

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 **Alright, well, I'm sure that some of you are about wet-your-pants excited for the next chapter.**

 **Please review.**


	13. Chapter 13: With Fire

**XIII: With Fire**

A messenger arrived at the Jasmine Dragon just after they had opened for Iroh, he took one look at the scroll and announced cheerfully: "The Earth King has invited us to bring tea for him! What an honor!"

"All the while he's making plans for his involvement in the war now? Either your reputation as a tea maker is spreading like wildfire through the city, or there's something amiss." Zuko told him.

"Well I'm not about to pass up this opportunity if it's true." Iroh stated.

"I'll go with you, Uncle, just be on your guard."

"I'm always on guard." Iroh replied.

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They were supposed to meet with the King at a house separated from the palace, and on the way there, Iroh stated: "I've spent a long time imagining myself at the Earth Palace, but as a conqueror, now it's as an honored guest."

They sat down and awaited for their host, only to discover that they've fallen into a trap as Azula and the Dai Li entered the room.

"It's tea time." She said mockingly.

"Azula!" Zuko exclaimed, getting to his feet.

"Have you met the Dai Li? They're Earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that is so Firebender, I just love it!"

Iroh then got to his feet and asked his niece: "Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname the "Dragon of the West"?

"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle." Azula told him, bored and looking at her nails.

"It's more of a demonstration really."

Iroh took a sip of his tea and briefly met eyes with Zuko. Zuko ducked behind his uncle just before he made his stance, opened his mouth, and blew a powerful torrent of fire at the Dai Li like a dragon! The agents lowered their heads and lifted their gloved hands to shield themselves. During the fray, Zuko and Iroh bolted. The Dai Li chased after them, throwing little pebbles like bullets, but the Fire Prince and the Dragon of the West were too quick for them.

Azula took part in the chase thowing a bolt of lightning at them, and blowing a hole in the wall, and Iroh took it as his opportunity to make an escape and jumped through it. Zuko, in a slight panic, looked down to his uncle and found that he had landed safely on a hedge.

"Come on. You'll be fine!" Iroh called.

"No. I'm tired of running. It's time I faced Azula!"

Although Zuko was already cornered.

"You're so dramatic. What, are you going to do, challenge me to an Agni Kai?" Azula asked teasingly.

"Yes! I challenge you!"

"No thanks."

Zuko raised both of his hands, summoning a large ball of flame, leaned forward and pushed it at his sister. Azula watched calmly as two Dai Li agents stepped between her and the attack and raised a large, rectangular tile from the floor, and blocked the fire blast. Both agents flung their stone gloves at Zuko's feet, tying him to the floor. Zuko stumbles and places a hand on the floor, which is pinned down by another glove. Zuko struggles in vain to pull himself free. Azula turned her back and walked away. Two more Dai Li agents step forward and finally apprehended Zuko.

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The Dai Li opened a stone door to an underground chamber, and told someone inside: "You've got company." Then they tossed in Zuko.

"Katara!" He exclaimed.

"So I guess that you've recently had a little brother-sister reunion." She stated.

"Yeah, she invited Uncle Iroh to have tea with the Earth King and laid a trap for us. Iroh's alright, though, and he's the only one I really know that can really best Azula in a duel."

"How're my dad and brother?"

"Your dad was nice, and even though Sokka introduced me to him with my proper title, he grew to trust me. Before I left them, they were going out to the bay to spread some mines out to trap some Fire Nation ships."

"How did my dad look? Any wounds or missing parts?" Katara asked.

"He looked as if he didn't suffer so much as a scratch. He's well and strong. Y'know, you and Sokka failed to tell me that he's the chief of your tribe." Zuko stated.

"What difference does it make to you?"

"I can see you as more of an equal than as a humble peasant. Even though I understand that Southern Water Tribe politics is different than that of the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom." Zuko replied.

Katara sat down and sighed while fiddling with the pendant of her necklace. Finally she asked: "What do you think is going to happen to Ba Sing Se?"

"Azula is inside the city after the Fire Nation has spent years just trying to get through the walls. With the Dai Li under her power, I believe that the Earth Kingdom will fall."

Suddenly, Katara started to weep.

"Hey, please don't cry. A strong bender like you, with the greatest pride of the Water Tribe in you, you'll do well to help end this war in our favor. If the Fire Nation is to take Ba Sing Se, then we'll find a way to set things back in balance. You'll still have the power to fight too. Remember, the invasion is still on, and I'm sure that you'll find a way to make that happen."

"I'm not crying because of that, I'm crying because the Fire Nation took my mother, and then it looks like we're going to suffer more losses."

"Hey, you'll pull through, we all will." Zuko replied.

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As Iroh ran back to the house, he noticed a Dai Li agent chasing after him, whatever it was that really happened, Iroh managed to capture him, and he dragged him to the house. He was fortunate enough to find Toph, Aang, and Sokka, already there and he told them what had happened between Zuko and himself. Knowing that Katara was in danger too, everyone was convinced that Azula had captured Katara too.

Iroh showed them to the Dai Li agent, and he told them everything, from where Zuko and Katara were being held, the crystal catacombs of Ancient Ba Sing Se, and Azula's plot to overthrow the Earth King.

They moved out, leaving the Dai Li agent indoors, tied up, but he should be comfortable.

Toph felt where the Crystal Catacombs were located, and the group decided to split up. Sokka took Toph to warn the Earth King about the coup, while Aang and Iroh went underground to find Katara and Zuko. Aang bent the earth out of their way, while Iroh provided some light.

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Sokka, Toph, and Momo witnessed as the Dai Li captured General How, and realized that Azula's coup was taking place right now! They quickly ran into the throne room only to find the Earth King safe, but under Ty Lee and Mai's watch. Both Sokka and Toph managed to recognize them under the makeup and stolen uniforms.

"Thank goodness we're in time!" Sokka exclaimed.

"In time for what?" King Kuei asked.

"Yeah, what are you in time for what... cutie?" Ty Lee asked as she somersaulted over to Sokka.

"Uh, I'm kinda involved with Suki."

"Who?"

Toph earthbent a rock underneath Ty Lee. She gave a small shout as she was hurled into the air. Ty Lee flips backward and lands on top of the badger mole statue in the back of the room.

"They're not the real Kyoshi Warriors!" Toph called out.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Mai stated. She flung three double bladed daggers at Toph. Toph earthbent a slab of rock in front of her to block the projectiles. She then kicked the slab, sending it at Mai, but she jumped over it. A moment after she landed, Toph used her Earthbending to pop a stone up from underneath Mai, knocking her away. Toph grins victoriously.

As Sokka watched the fight, Ty Lee snuck up next to him, giggling and with a big, happy grin on her face. Sokka, startled, stepped back. Ty Lee proceeded to try to attack Sokka's pressure points in order to disable him, but the Water Tribe warrior is too quick. Every time Ty Lee tried to hit a joint or spot on his body, Sokka ducked, leaned, and shifted out of the way, often ending up in an awkward position.

"Ooo, it's like we're dancing together." Ty Lee said, almost teasingly.

(Cut to Azula standing behind the Earth King and holding him by the shoulder. The frightened king stares at the blue flame Azula holds close to his head.)

"This fight... is over." A cold, cruel voice told them. They turned to see that Azula had captured King Kuei, holding a ball of blue flames close to his head.

Without much of a choice, Sokka and Toph raised their hands in surrender. Ty Lee jumped between them and disabled them both with a series of strikes. Momo soars through the air and tries to escape, but a Dai Li agent that had entered the throne room with Azula, and he threw his stone gloves at Momo, capturing the lemur, and Ty Lee watched as Momo fell next to her. Azula roughly shoves the Earth King away.

"Get them all out of my sight." Azula ordered.

Mai and Ty Lee dragged Toph out of the room, while a Dai Li agent dragged Sokka out by the arm and another agent led the Earth King, who had Bosco on a leash. The bear moaned sadly as they were all dragged away to be thrown in a cell.

Azula smiled evilly before focusing on Long Feng whom just entered the throne room, followed by a troop of the Dai Li. They all stood before Azula.

"Now comes the part where I double-cross you. Dai Li, arrest the Fire Nation Princess!" Long Feng ordered, but the Dai Li were unresponsive: "I said, arrest her. What is wrong with you?!" Long Feng snapped, losing his patience.

"It's because they haven't made up their minds. They're waiting to see how this is going to end." Azula told him.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can see your whole history in your eyes. You were born with nothing. So you had to struggle and connive and claw your way to power. But true power...the divine right to rule...is something you're born with. The fact is, they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on that throne and which one is going to be bowing down. But I know. And you know."

Long Feng began to sweat, his face full of hesitation and uncertainty. Azula sits on the Earth King's throne and crosses her legs: "Well?"

Long Feng realized that he had lost and bowed before Azula.

"You've beaten me at my own game."

"Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player." Azula replied.

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A wall in their stone prison gave away to reveal Aang and Iroh.

"Aang!" Katara exclaimed as she rushed over to meet him. She held him in a tight embrace. Iroh ran past to check in on Zuko, however the reunion was cut short. A violent quake shook the chamber and trail of crystals shots out of the ground until they reached Iroh, until they entrapped him. Zuko readied himself for an attack when Azula and two Dai Li agents slid down from the tunnel. Azula advanced towards them, but Zuko put himself between his uncle and his sister.

"Release him immediately!" Zuko ordered her.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko, Prince Zuko...you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you? It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself!"

Iroh, tried to play up on her words to suggest that they really hadn't joined the Avatar and his friends and told Zuko: "The kind of redemption she offers is not for you."

"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle? I need you Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father's love. You will have everything you want. "

"Zuko, I am begging you, look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want."

Zuko looked between Iroh, his friends, and his sister, appearing deep in thought, but then he looked to Aang and Katara, turning his face into a glare, and he slowly blinked twice as if trying to signal them, and so they took off in search for Toph and Sokka.

"You are free to choose." Azula told him. She waved a hand to the Dai Li agents, signaling them to leave. Both earthbent a stone cube under their feet and slid back up the ramp. Azula departs through the tunnel Aang and Katara had gone through.

A while later, Zuko would follow after them.

A stream of blue fire rocketed towards Aang and Katara from behind. Aang quickly turned around and made a wall of stone to protect them. The fire hit the wall with great force, knocking Aang back.

A look at Azula revealed that her fingertips were still smoking from the attack. Katara ran around the smoldering wall and bent the water in the channel flowing through this large chamber. She charged at Azula and brought the water crashing down on her. Azula deflected the attack with a short blast of fire. Katara kept her momentum and spun the water around her, smashing it into the floor and created a large wave. Azula stomps the ground and flings her hands out, making a wall of fire that evaporates the wave coming at her. The resulting steam hid Azula from view. Aang and Katara looked left and right, preparing for a sneak attack.

Azula jumped out of the steam and perched on one of the larger crystals above them. She attacked with two blue fireballs which Aang and Katara extinguished by bending the water from the channel into a shield. Azula landed on a piece of rock jutting out from one of the large columns. Aang shoots his fists forward and brings his palms down, sending a shockwave through the ground and into the column, destroying it. Azula gasped and dropped down between Aang and Katara, pointing her fingers at both of them. Azula looks back and forth between the two of them nervously, waiting for their next move.

Suddenly, a blast of red fire shot between Aang and Azula. They shielded themselves from it and turned towards the new arrival, Zuko. He wore a simple brown shirt and brown pants, having shed his outer robes. Zuko drew closer to them, poised in a Firebending stance. He looked to Azula, who glared back at him harshly. Zuko then looked to Aang.

They knew what was coming… Zuko outstretched his arms, shot two jets of fire, he then brought his hands together and struck them upon the ground, wherein his fire shot across the chamber and flared upwards with a burst!

Now was the time to get serious, Katara noticed that Azula was shocked by Zuko's powerful display, well he had gotten significantly more powerful since she'd last seen him, but Katara took advantage of this opportunity and bent water into a tentacle and struck Azula's face, knocking her to the ground, and it gave her a scratch on the left side of her face that ran the length of her cheek.

All the while, Zuko sent a barrage of fireballs at Aang, for him to dodge or block!

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Sokka peeked through the metal door of the cell, looking side to side.

"See any Dai Li?" Toph asked.

"No, we're clear." Sokka replied. Toph cracked her knuckles and bent the metal door to be pushed from its hinges!

"Let's go!" Sokka told them.

"I'm not leaving without Bosco!" King Kuei told them as they ran.

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Zuko hated this fight, it just wasn't fair for the Avatar and Katara to face against two powerful Firebenders and later on the Dai Li agents. It was just too much for them! Yet they continued to fight.

At one point Katara had captured one of Azula's arms and then one of her legs, and before he decided to blast the water to help Azula, Katara had thrown her into the ground, knocking the wind out of her for a few moments, and Katara used her water to freeze her in place.

However, if Zuko really wanted to sell that he was truly on her side, he would have to act like he had her back, and so he melted the ice for Azula, and returned his attention to Aang and dealt him a blazing attack to which Aang had dodged, and sent a gust of air Zuko's way, knocking him off of his feet.

However with the Dai Li's interference, it was now getting harder and harder to get a hit on Zuko and Azula. At some point Katara saw that a combination of moves done by Aang and one of the Firebenders ended up with Aang getting launched into the air, and strike a rock wall.

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Toph, Sokka, and King Kuei made it back to the throne room to find Ty Lee trying to get Bosco to walk on his hands from the look of things.

Before Ty Lee could discover that their prisoners had escaped, she found her hands entrapped in stone, and was unable to free herself. Everyone else stepped in to engage Mai, who was reclined in a seat, rather than getting to her feet to throw knives at them, she sighed and told them: "Just take the bear."

"Bosco!" King Kuei said cheerfully as he rushed over to embrace his bear.

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Eventually, after seeing Katara get overwhelmed with Dai Li agents, he cocooned himself in crystals so he could follow the last of the Guru's teachings to master the Avatar State. He emerged from the cocoon his eyes and tattoos glowing. Katara smiled at him, and Zuko had a pang of dread surge through him. If he had to face against Aang in this state, he would have little choice but to flee.

However, to everyone's shock, a bolt of lightning surged through Aang's body, and he fell.

Katara surfed over to Aang with her Waterbending and collected Aang's body. However, since Azula didn't let up on her attacks, Zuko felt that he had to continue as well, hating himself for every strike he threw. Katara did what she could to protect Aang's body and herself, when Iroh stepped into the fray and told her to get out while he held Zuko and Azula back.

Katara bent her way out of the chamber and made her escape with Aang in her arms. Once they were safe, Iroh surrendered and was promptly taken prisoner. He briefly looked into Zuko's eyes, but he was quick to turn his head away, saddened by Zuko's choice.

"After a hundred years of chipping away at its walls, the Fire Nation has finally taken the city of Ba Sing Se. So smile, Zuko, when we return home, you'll be welcomed back as a hero." Azula stated.

"I still don't have the Avatar, what if father doesn't restore my honor?" Zuko asked, rehashing on his past obsessions.

"He doesn't have to, today, you've restored your own honor." Azula stated.

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The Earth Kingdom had fallen, and soon the world would believe the Avatar to be dead. However, there was still a glimmer of hope, as they were fleeing the city with their friends, Katara pulled out the water she'd received from Master Paku, from the Spirit Oasis. Its special properties managed to restore life to Aang, but he would still need time to heal.

"Zuko had to turn on us, didn't he?" Sokka questioned. Katara nodded, not looking at him.

"Did you guys get a few hits in?" Sokka asked. Katara simply nodded and was silent for the rest of the night. Later on, they rendezvoused with Chief Hakoda, and set out to sea.

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 **Please review.**


	14. Chapter 14: Return

**XIV: Return**

Not long after Iroh was thrown into a prison cell on Fire Nation land, Zuko and Azula had returned to the Fire Nation Palace. Although he didn't want to admit it, Zuko had a glimmer of happiness when he walked back into his proper home; and after three long years, he finally got to see his father again, but this time, when Zuko met him, he held a level of disgust and yet pity. For he was a man with no pure intentions, just a lust for power, but yet had never really known love, hardly ever showing it or receiving it.

Ozai showed them to a dinner table laden with a feast as a welcoming treat for the young heroes of the Fire Nation, and Azula let on the details of their victory, praising Zuko's power and ferocity… and how it was Zuko who'd slain the Avatar.

"Well now, Azula, this has been a wonderful listen… but you've neglected to share about who dared to put that scar on your cheek." Ozai stated.

"Ugh, it was a filthy Water Tribe peasant, she got me with a sneak attack… but father, I haven't told you the best part yet: While I was in disguise, in one of those disgusting Kyoshi Warrior uniforms, that foolish Earth King told me of a plot for an invasion on our lands on a day of black sun."

Zuko had to fight to keep from putting on a shocked face. He knew that this information would have to get out to the Water Tribe, but what would that mean for the invasion. He wanted it to happen, but if the Fire Nation knows about it, what could be done?

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Later in on the evening, Zuko wrote two letters. He tucked them both in his sleeve, and went out for the night to the prison. There he demanded to see his uncle, and for the soldier guarding him to take a break with no replacement. Once inside the room, he looked into the bars, where Iroh sat in the center of the cell.

"Uncle, we need to talk." Zuko told him, but Iroh turned away and kept silent.

"Uncle?" Zuko spoke again, but he still didn't get a response. Zuko took a deep breath to maintain his composure, he pulled out one of his scrolls, and asked: "Would you at least take this?"

Again, Iroh sat, not looking at him, not even making movement or sound. That was when Zuko had a brief snap, and he threw the scroll through the bars, and struck Iroh in the head with the scroll. It bounced off the top of his head, ricocheted off of the wall, and then rolled back to Iroh by his knee. It so happed that Zuko wrote something on the rolled up scroll that read: _The truth._

Finally Iroh looked back at Zuko and found his eyes hoding a glimmer of hope. So he picked up the scroll and read it:

 _Uncle Iroh,_

 _I know what things looked like to you back in the underground of Ba Sing Se, well what you saw wasn't what you think it is._

 _Before Azula's return to Ba Sing Se, Sokka and I devised a plan should we face her again; we shared it with Toph, Aang, and Katara, but we kept you out of the loop because Azula is clever. I needed you to feel genuine betrayal when you saw me turn against my friends, and you so I could fool Azula that I'd returned to her side. However, my ations were all part of an elaborate rouse to gain Azula's full trust and be brought back to the Fire Nation as the Avatar's inside man. I'll send them messages using the hawks._

 _The Fire Nation believes me to be a hero, but at heart, to the nation, I should be considered a traitor. Should their invasion on the eclipse end as their loss, I plan to rejoin them, and become Aang's Firebending master._

Iroh looked up from the scroll, after reading it twice, looked up to his nephew, and gave a small smile. He up and burned the scroll to ash.

"Take care of yourself, Zuko." Iroh told him, and then he sent Zuko away.

When Zuko returned home, he took out the other scroll and sent it out with a messenger hawk.

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While out at sea the Water Tribe fleet sank their ships and set a trap to capture a Fire Nation ship, and long story short, they actually had an easy time taking a ship, with their sneak attack, they caught the crew completely off guard and basically found themselves captured before they really knew what hit them!

To further blend in with the Fire Nation fleet, they stole the armor off of the crew, and raided the armory, donning their attire.

A couple of men took Aang's broken body into the quietest room in the ship, where Katara took it upon herself to give him healing sessions, oftentimes, there were several sessions a day… Katara worked herself to the point of exhaustion.

During a session, perhaps the 100th, honestly everyone lost count, Sokka entered the room and told her: "Listen, I know I'm not a bender, but I believe you'd be much more of use after you've had some sleep. You need your rest."

" _We_ need Aang to wake up. The fate of the world rests on us, and we can't do it without him!" She snapped.

"You're right we do need Aang, but right now he needs you more, and since Aang needs you, then that means that _we_ need you, and so _everyone_ needs you to get some nourishment and some sleep." Sokka told her. He saw that she was tired and growing weak, and so he found it easy to just pick her up and carry her out over his shoulder. When he used a free hand to shut the door behind him, he told Katara: "We found that the food supply is fully stocked, and we found some recipes. Turns out Bato actually doesn't make for a bad cook when it comes to Fire Nation food, although he's been telling us that he does cut back on the spices."

Sokka dragged her all the way to a table, set just outside the kitchen, where they joined their dad, and Bato served them something to eat.

After one bite, Katara realized how hungry she really was and ate two plates full.

"There you go, that's what I wanted to see." Sokka told her.

"I should get back to Aang, thanks, Bato, the food was good."

"No way, you just ate, and now you need some rest!" Sokka told her.

"Sokka, I won't be able to sleep, the way I'm feeling. Aang needs me!"

"You're right, but most of all, Aang needs you to sleep. Dad will show you to the most comfortable bed on the ship, and I'll watch over Aang for the night, if I notice any changes in him, I promise I'll shake you awake and drag you to him myself."

"Your brother's right, Katara, let's go. For all your hard work, you'll be sleeping in the captain's quarters, and once you're refreshed, you can spend all of tomorrow with healing Aang." Hakoda stated.

So Hakoda led Katara all the way to the captain's quarters and had her lay down and made sure that she fell asleep before he left the room.

When Hakoda returned to the deck, he heard a bird call from the sky and took it on his arm. It was a Fire Nation messenger hawk, with a letter from the Fire Prince and so he ran it to Sokka.

"Our inside man's sent us a message." Hakoda told him, passing the letter.

Sokka opened the note and read it aloud:

 _Sokka, Katara,_

 _I hope that things with Aang have gotten better, it looked like things had turned quite bleak, but somehow I feel like the Avatar will pull through in the end._

 _So, I'm back home now, and I'll admit that it's somewhat nice. The plan worked though, Fire Lord Ozai welcomed me home with open arms, and so he suspects nothing of our plan. As for Uncle Iroh, he's been thrown in prison as a traitor, but I'll make sure that he's at least treated well._

 _Zuko._

With nothing else to do, Sokka wrote back:

 _Zuko,_

 _Aang is alive but he is in critical condition, Katara's working on healing him. Since you've left, we've managed to capture a Fire Nation ship in order to blend in with the fleets. We still plan on our invasion, but with a smaller but elite team of friends we can gather._

 _So far, all's well with us but it will be better when Aang wakes up._

 _Sokka_

After that he sent the bird back to Zuko.

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Aang woke up still in pain, and the first thing he saw was a Fire Nation banner! Fearing that he had been captured, he picked up his staff and ran to make his escape, but once he reached the deck, he found his friends hanging out peacefully on the deck, with Appa, Momo and even Pipsqueak and The Duke from the time they really first met Jet.

Katara and Sokka brought him up to date on the happenings, what happened with Zuko, what happened to him and how he was brought back to life with spirit water, how they captured the ship, and then they told him that he'd been asleep for a few weeks, and Katara complimented Aang on his hair.

"I have hair?!" He asked grabbing at his head.

The next thing that they told him was that the whole world thought him to be dead. They saw him as their secret weapon, but Aang looked at it as the ultimate failure.

Aang wasn't happy about that, it made him feel like the ultimate failure. So when a Fire Nation ship started to approach them, Aang wanted to take it on himself, but Sokka held him back and told him that the other ship didn't know that they were not Fire Nation and brought him inside to hide.

"I hate not being able to do anything." Aang grumbled.

"If you're lucky, you wouldn't even have to." Sokka told him.

However, after the visit from the other ship, Toph overheard them that they suspected that they were on a captured ship, and called out: "They know!" She thrust her hand towards the floor, grabbed and twisted the metal and bent a fissure in the metal leading all the way up to the bridge. The bridge buckled, and threw the officers into the water below. Katara split the ships apart by pulling up a massive wave.

"Load the Toph!" Toph called out, and The Duke and Pipsqueak loaded her up with earthen ammunition for her to throw and take out the catapults.

Katara whipped up some cover by turning some seawater into steam, and eventually they got away.

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Aang came to the decision that he had to face the Fire Lord alone, and it drove him to fly away on his glider in the middle of the night. He wasn't too certain where he was going, but he knew that the Fire Nation was somewhere up ahead. However, he came into the clutches of the ocean in his broken up state.

When all hope seemed lost, visions of Avatar Roku and Princess Uwe, Moon Spirit, came to him. Roku told him that he should've seen the war coming and prevented it, and Uwe told him that he'd already saved the world and that he'll do it again. So with a newfound spirit, he found the strength to reach the safety of the shores of a Fire Nation island.

Later on in the morning, he woke to the sight of Katara, Sokka, and Toph looking down at him, and they were relieved to see that he was alright. At that point he came to terms that it was best that the world thought him dead. Toph found his glider, ruined from the storm, but Aang came to accept his loss, saying that it would be easy for the enemy to recognize him with it. So he stuck it into a crack in a volcano, and let it burn to ash.

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 **Please review, it keeps me motivated.**


	15. Chapter 15: When a Story is Told

**XV: When A Story is Told**

Not long into their journey into the Fire Nation, Aang's choice of outfit happened to be a school uniform, he stayed in the school for a few days but it turned out that he was a bit of a troublesome student: first he challenged his History teacher by telling the class that the Air Nation never had a formal army, when questioned about how Fire Lord Sozin overpowered the Air Nation. he had an issue with the Music teacher when he started dancing in his seat and he had questions of self-expression, and finally he got involved in a fight with another student when the other student thought that he was flirting with his girlfriend.

So Aang threw then a secret dance party, and nearly got busted by the headmaster, but by that time, Team Avatar decided that was the time to leave that area in search of a new place to stay for a while.

They ended up at a village, once living off of a life of fishing and built on a river, but a factory had been erected and poured sludge into the river, polluting it to the point where the village was on the verge of dying out from starvation and sickness.

Katara didn't take the situation lightly.

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When Zuko received Sokka's letter, stating that they were still planning on going through with the invasion, a sense of dread washed over him, now that he knew that the Fire Nation knew of the supposed 'surprise attack' on the day of black sun.

He had also found a letter in his room, it was an invitation from Iroh, saying that he wished for Zuko to visit him, just to talk and share wisdom. So he snuck out to the prison, stopping only to purchase a pot of tea on the way there.

When he arrived at Iroh's cell, they sat facing each other, and Iroh smiled pleasantly when he saw that Zuko brought him tea, it was ginseng, one of his favorites, too.

"You sent for me." Zuko stated.

"That's right, I thought that you'd like to hear this story that I read while we were in the Spirit Library… but you, my nephew, you look like there's something on your mind,"

"Father knows of the day of black sun, what is that going to mean for our future?" Zuko replied.

"Just make sure that those you care about know what they're in for, they'll know what to do." Iroh told him

Zuko sighed, and sipped from his cup, he didn't really care for the tea, but it seemed to make his uncle pleased, as Iroh told him: "When we were at the Spirit Library, I happened upon an ancient tome about the very first Avatar and it also told of the very first true Firebender."

Zuko locked eyes with his uncle, he had piqued his interest, and so Iroh began the story:

 _Nearly ten-thousand years a go, there was a young thief named Wan. He lived in an ancient city that rested of the back of lion-turtle a guardian for humans from the spirits that roamed the dangerous wilds, which the fearsome races of spirits called their home. Wan was known for stealing food for himself and his friends, from a tyrannical, but wealthy, family that seemed to rule the city._

 _Since thieving wasn't where his heart truly lay, he once joined a hunting team to venture in the wilds, and the lion-turtle gave them the gift of fire so they could hunt for food and yet use it to protect themselves. There was a rule to using fire, that they must never bring this gift into the city… but at some point, Wan decided to sneak it into the village and use it to start an uprising against the wealthy family, in a thirst for justice._

 _Because he broke the law of the lion-turtle, Wan was banished from the village that rested on the lion-turtle's back. Wan accepted his punishment, but he pleaded with the lion-turtle to let him keep the gift of fire so he had some way of protecting himself, and the lion-turtle allowed him to keep the ability of fire, and Wan wandered into the forest. He wandered to the point of exhaustion, trying to find sources of food and shelter, but having very little luck; he wandered on until he came across a peaceful oasis, but it was guarded by a spirit that refused to allow this human inside, and so sent Wan off._

 _As he continued to wander the wilds, Wan found a cat-deer trapped in a net set up by hunters from his former home. The hunters caught him trying to free their prey and while they were still amazed to see that he seemed to be doing alright, the hunters attacked him for freeing their prey. However, Wan fought against them, and the spirit of the oasis saw him stand up for the cat-deer and helped him to chase them away. He was impressed that Wan was capable of selfless acts, and now that Wan gained his trust, he told them that he now wanted to learn the ways of the spirits. As for the cat-deer, she became his close companion._

 _Time went by, and Wan continued to live on in a peaceful life with the spirits, and he began to command his fire as an extension of himself, and he became the first true Firebender. He even developed a full form of Firebending, the Dragon's Dance. He used this power to protect the peaceful nature of the wilds, and when humans became aware of his talents, they were inspired to leave the villages resting on the lion-turtles backs, and form their own civilizations._

 _With want to discover more of the world, Wan went on adventures with his cat-deer friend, and found two spirits fighting, one was Rava, the light spirit of peace, the other was Vatu, the dark spirit of chaos. Vatu pleaded with Wan to free him from the grasp of Rava, and not being the wiser, Wan separated them, only for Rava to tell him that his mistake was a grave one, for h had released chaos into the world._

 _Wan wanted to redeem himself, and he happened upon a new tribe of people with the power to bend air, and they lived on the lion turtle of air. There he met Vatu again and he drove him away, and Rava was impressed to see such a selfless act done by a human, and they became companions to fight Vatu. Before leaving, Wan asked the lion turtle for his air power, only for the lion turtle tell him that this was something that was never done before and that Rava would have to carry the element for him._

 _As time went by, Wan found the lion-turtles of water and earth, learning about their culture and taking their abilities along with him, as carried by Rava. She gave him the elements by passing through his body, and each time she passed through him, he felt stronger, and felt a rush of energy._

 _On the day of harmonic convergence, where our world connected with the spirit world, it was time to face Vatu for the last time. Rava entered Wan's body, giving him the power to control all the elements, but when the convergence occurred the two worlds connected, and so did the doors to the spirit world. Wan touched the beam while Rava was still inside him, and they fused together, boding them for the rest of Wan's live, and he became the first Avatar! He entered the first Avatar state and with the power of all the elements, he managed to imprison Vatu._

 _After the battle with Vatu, Wan pronounced him the bridge between the spirit and mortal worlds, and he sent the spirits back to their world, and he lived the rest of his life trying to keep the world in balance._

Zuko sat back, and he held a proud light in his eyes.

"What's on your mind?" Iroh asked.

"If I'm to look at the Avatar as one spirit with many forms, then one can say that I am the great-grandson of the first Firebender. There is another thing, and you've gave me some inspiration: You taught me how to redirect lightning using a Waterbending technique, well I wonder what will happen if I learn the ways of earth and air."

"Zuko, if you can figure out how to incorporate air, earth, and water into your Firebending, you may become more powerful than you'd care to know." Iroh replied.

They finished their tea and Zuko left the prison to go and write Sokka a letter:

 _Sokka,_

 _The Fire Nation knows about the invasion, Azula got wind of it while at Ba Sing Se, but while surprise may not be on your side, it doesn't change the fact that on that day the Firebenders will lose their power. So I think that you should still plan on the invasion. Enclosed is a detailed map of the capital, highlighting the most important parts and telling you what they are. You may not win the war with this invasion, but I strongly suspect that you can at least hurt us._

 _Zuko._

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A few days later, Katara and Aang took down the factory that was polluting the river, and they saved the village, in the end the people running the factory ended up fleeing the scene after seeing Katara's charade of posing as a water spirit. They stayed to help clean the river, however, their proud moment came to an end when Sokka received Zuko's letter. The Fire Nation knew that they were coming, but the map Zuko sent them proved to be a glimmer of hope.

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 **Until the day of the invasion, I'm planning on just putting in filler chapters with more of a Zuko focus. Any suggestions?**

 **Please respond.**


	16. Chapter 16: Wait and Conspire

**XVI: Wait and Conspire**

 _Zuko,_

 _So we've been in contact with our dad, Chief Hakoda, and we've changed up our plans or the invasion. We will strike to weaken the military, and hopefully we'll be able to meet up with each other soon afterwards._

 _As for us, we're still passing through the Fire Nation. We saw a meteor hit the island we were visiting, and I soon met Master Piandao. I've been feeling less useful in comparison to the other benders, and I've been missing your lessons, so when I heard that your sword master was here, I decided to pay him a visit. I told him that I've taken a few lessons from one of his students, but wasn't too confident in my ability, and he soon saw fit to teach me. After his teachings, he told me to pick out a metal for my own sword, and we used the meteorite to make it. It's a sword like no other, with a black blade._

 _Sokka_

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Zuko gave a quick small smile at the letter before crumpling it up in his hands and incinerating it. He disposed of the ashes in a painted jar, as he had done with all written correspondence between Team Avatar and Iroh. Soon enough, Azula had stepped into the room and spoke: "What have you been up to, Zuko?"

"What do you care?"

"Mai's been in an oddly cheerful mood since you've returned home, but I'm surprised that you haven't been hanging out with her that much… However, that's not my only concern. From what our fleets can tell, there is no sign that indicates that the invasion has been called off. I think that there's still hope amongst those peasants, and therefore, I think that the Avatar's still alive."

"How's that possible? We both saw him fall after you struck him with lightning."

"I've heard that the filthy little Water Tribe bender is a talented healer. Perhaps she's got a special gift for it. So I believe that the Avatar's alive, and I'd like for you to come with me to send someone out to make sure that he's well out of the way." Azula told Zuko.

Zuko nodded.

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Sokka received the new message, and ran to his friends with a look of horror on his face.

"Sokka, what does it say?" Katara asked with worry.

Sokka read aloud: "Sokka, my sister suspects that the Avatar may be still alive, suspicious of the hope that the rest of the world seems to hold. She invited me to come with her to meet a certain individual named… I can't pronounce this! He's a Fire Nation assassin with a mark on his forehead, and he can shoot fireballs with his mind. He also has a metal hand and metal foot, so I can only suspect that Toph will be able to feel him coming. I'm sorry about this, so please be careful, and be vigilant. I can tell you this though: his greatest weakness will be the mark on his head."

"They sent an assassin after us!?" Toph exclaimed.

"We better get moving then." Aang stated.

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Not long after a visit to the Firelord's war room, Azula and Zuko soon found themselves packing their bags to go on a forced vacation to Ember Island with Mai, Ty Lee, and were to be supervised by ancient twins Li and Lo.

The cabin they had to stay at had bedspreads of a nauseating shade of pink and it had the smell of an old folks' home.

They spent their first day on the beach, where Zuko and Mai sat under their umbrella and watched the sea lap up on the shore.

Zuko looked to Mai and thought to himself: _This is actually a nice feeling, just sitting with Mai on a lovely day and to just sit back and breathe for a while. Perhaps I should give her a few good memories before I have to turn against the nation._

"Mai, would you like to hear about any of my travels I've been on while in exile?"

"Are these going to be rants of how depressing it was, or do you really have something interesting to tell?"

"The journey was hard, but I've been all over the world; and if I could do it all over again, I think I'd try and enjoy the places I've been to more than I did. However not everything was so bad. So, would you like to hear of some adventures?"

"Yeah, go right ahead." Mai told him. Zuko told he of how he ended up teaming up with pirates to try and capture the avatar, the avatar's companion had stolen something from them, and they were willing to help him out. However when his friends blabbed that they were among the avatar, his quest for honor, and the pirate's quest for money clashed, and provoked a fight that ended up with the avatar and his friends escaping with the stolen property. He also told of how the late Admiral Zhao tried to kill him so he could have the glory of capturing the avatar for himself.

"He tried to blow you up?" Mai questioned.

"He did indeed, it took me a while to recover, but I disguised myself as a soldier, snuck aboard his ship, and hitched a ride to the North Pole with him." Zuko replied.

"What happened to Zhao anyway? I heard rumors of your uncle killing him and him drowning at sea."

"It wasn't any of those things, it happened right in front of my face. The avatar teamed up with the spirit of the ocean and laid waste to Zhao's fleet. After that, the spirit returned to the village and a hand from the spirit took Zhao in its grasp and dragged him down, I don't like seeing people suffer so I tried to help him but he just accepted his fate and the spirit dragged him into the water. I don't know if he's truly dead or if he's lost in the spirit world now." Zuko replied.

"Did you have many encounters with the avatar?"

"Yes… for someone who's mostly just a child, he was a crafty kid. I first found him while I was at the South Pole, apparently the day he woke up after 100 years. There were a few occurrences before the North Pole, and there was a point where we got into a three-way stand off between the avatar, Azula, and myself. His friends and Uncle Iroh came to the scene later, and through all the chaos we all just teamed up against Azula."

"So you started out against Azula, and now you're on her side now?" Mai questioned.

"I felt I had to choose a side… and it was _you_ who was alongside Azula… I didn't think about much over the past few years aside from capturing the Avatar and restoring my honor, but when I wasn't obsessing over that, I often thought back to the good old days, where you would visit the palace." Zuko replied. Mai turned to face him and with a small smile, she gave him a kiss. It only lasted for a moment, but it was a wonderful moment.

Azula later approached to tell her friends that they were going to play a match of volleyball, to which they annihilated their opponents, but despite the crazy that was Azula, it wasn't long after that where they ended up getting invited to a party.

The party was fun and all, but one young man got too forward with Mai, and Zuko swooped in to defend her.

"Hey, back off, you're making her uncomfortable," Zuko told the young man in almost a low growl.

"Bug off, scarface we're just talking." The young man snapped. Zuko produced a ball of fire and held it up to the other guy's face and the young man backed down and retreated to the other side of the room.

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They got bored at the party and spent the night at the beach with a campfire going. A lot of issues were brought up, Ty Lee brought up her frustration of growing up with six other girls that looked just like her. Azula spoke of how she knew that her mother favored Zuko and that she saw Azula as a monster, and although she was apparently right, it still hurt. Mai said that so long as she behaved perfectly she had everything she wanted, but it led to overbearing parents and no room to rebel and little room to do something wildly fun. Zuko retaliated to Azula how hard things were for him after their mother disappeared, as Ozai always seemed to dote on her, and with their mother gone the only persons to support him of recent date were Iroh and Mai.

"Are you actually feeling pity for our traitorous uncle?" Azula asked.

"He's still of our family, and he views the world much differently than you and father do. I believe that his views should be understood and respected. HE may deserve to be in prison right now, but he should at least be treated well in prison."

Zuko got up and took a walk, ending up at the old family vacation house when a messenger hawk flew in and trilled. Zuko took its letter and saw that it was from Sokka. He opened it up to find that it started off throwing him and his sister the foulest insults that Sokka probably knew.

The letter detailed about their first two encounters with the assassin that he and Azula sent after them, and they deemed him 'Combustion Man', it seemed fitting, his real name was actually pretty hard to pronounce. They didn't have much of an opportunity to fight Combustion Man, but they've managed to escape him without harm. Apart from dealing with the assassin, the letter also detailed that at some point they nearly ran out of Fire Nation money, and Toph figured out how to use her Earthbending to create scams to earn some money, it started off with a minor gambling game, but things were quick to escalate. Eventually it led to one of their encounters with Combustion Man. The final thing that the letter detailed was actually something that Zuko found quite disturbing. While they were camping out in the forest, telling ghost stories, an old woman, named Hama, found them and invited them to her inn. It turned out that Hama was a Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, the last one to've been captured by the Fire Nation, before she was eventually imprisoned… the last Water Bender of the Southern Tribe until Katara was born. Katara was eager to learn from her, and found out how to pull water from plants and air, and then it was revealed how Hama managed to leave prison. During the nights of the full moon she felt it giving her great strength, and soon she figured out how to use the power to bend water in the human body, she called it Bloodbending. She used her technique to make her guard unlock her cell and she escaped. As revenge for what the Fire Nation did to her, she used her power to drag people into a cave where she locked them up and barely kept them alive in her captivity.

Zuko destroyed the letter, and wrote a reply, telling them exactly what he planned to do during the eclipse, and once they had regrouped: to take Aang to the site of where a tribe of ancient Firebenders used to live, the Sun Warriors, to learn something about the origins of Firebending, then he wanted to regroup with the other benders, and have each bender teach the fundamentals of their bending or order to see if those techniques could translate into other elements. He also hoped that Aang could teach them a way to get in touch with their inner spirits. He knew that Aang saw a guru to master the Avatar State but he wondered if the guru's technique could unlock the fullest realization of ones' element.

Hopefully, the benders that were with them would eventually become the most powerful of this time. For now, it was just a matter of surviving past the Day of the Black Sun.

Zuko sent his letter off, and few days before the eclipse, he was on a ship headed for home.

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 **Please review.**


	17. Chapter 17: Day of the Black Sun

**XVII: Day of the Black Sun**

Team Avatar felt the tension as they approached the Fire Nation. Everyone knew that the Fire Nation knew that they were coming, but they also knew that the Fire Nation didn't know of their change of plans. Rather than taking out the Fire Lord, it was just to weaken the army, and the army was more busy patrolling the shores rather than their base.

They approached in submarines, obscured from the Fire Nation eyes. Those who were there included: Haru and his father (friends they met early on in their journey), Pipsqueak and the Duke (former comrades of Jet), the Swampbenders (met shortly before Toph), the mechanist from the Northern Air Temple and his son, Teo, came along too, the mechanist was the one whom Sokka turned to in order to develop the submarines, the Boulder and Hippo (Toph's ex-opponents from her Earth Rumble days), the warriors of the Southern Water Tribe, and whomever else they could find on short notice with some sort of weapon.

Their team was also loaded up with special tanks, designed in the Earth Kingdom, to be powered by the Earthbenders, Katara loaded up on extra water skins for her bending purposes, Sokka had strapped on his boomerang and meteorite sword, Aang had been gifted with a new glider (after his old one got busted up and he had to destroy it) and this new glider came with a snack compartment., and Toph was going to be in one of the tanks.

Unfortunately for Toph, the submarine proved to be a nauseating mode of transport. The vibrations of the water passing over the shell, the motors, and the presence of others jumbled up her sights. The Duke offered her his helmet and she threw up in it.

Sokka approached Aang and asked him: "Are you ready for the Fire Nation to find out that the Avatar's alive?"

"I'm ready… Are you ready for the Fire Nation to get a taste of your mighty boomerang?"

"I've polished it up special for them." Sokka replied. He peered through a porthole, and although the water distorted the image, he could see the coast of the Fire Nation coming up.

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Mai opened the door at the sound of a knock early in the morning.

"Zuko, what are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is and what day it is? The rebels are planning an invasion!"

"Yes, and that's why I'm here. Mai, there's something I need to tell you before the eclipse… but first, we need to go somewhere where no one can hear us."

"We'll be alone in the cellar." Mai replied, and she showed Zuko down. She looked at him slightly worried and asked him: "So what's going on? Is it something that I should be worried about?"

"Yes… I don't want anyone to risk hearing this, so I wrote it down, but I felt that you at least deserved to have me look you in the eye while you take this." Zuko replied and he passed her a scroll. Mai opened it up and it read:

 _Dear Mai,_

 _At some point during the last few months of my banishment, I've made a traitorous choice. I had decided to give up my hunt for the Avatar and join him instead. I had been around the world, searching for him, and I've discovered that the war hasn't shared the Fire Nation's greatness, like we've been taught, but that people hate and fear us; and so I came to the realization that in order to restore balance to the war, the Fire Nation must lose, my father would have to be removed from the throne, and I would have to succeed him and restore our nation's honor._

 _So what happened at Ba Sing Se? I was there when you were in the drill, trying to get through the walls, but I didn't yet wish to reveal whose side I was on. So I stayed out of that fight, but I knew that eventually our paths would cross with Azula again, and so, with my new friends, we devised a plan: Should the right opportunity come, I would 'betray' them, and fight alongside Azula, to regain her trust. Hopefully, something would occur that would allow me to return home, and it did, ever since I came back home, my goal was to pick up any information and send it to the Avatar. His friends have been sending me information about their whereabouts, and I know that the Avatar is still alive. I'm even the one that's advised them where they should strike during the eclipse._

 _I can't imagine what must be going through your head now… I'll tell you this though, in full honesty: I've been quite happy to be with you during this time, it was the only thing that I didn't hate about coming home. If revealing that I'm betraying the Nation has broken your heart then I am so sorry, but I'll still hold feelings for you, and I hope that in time, you will forgive me._

 _Once the eclipse is over with, I plan on escaping, and returning to the Avatar, and I'll teach him Firebending. Once we've ended the war, I'd like for us to be together again._

 _Zuko._

Mai looked at him and spoke softly: "Was there no other choice you could've made?"

"My mind is set, and unless you want to come with me, I don't see how we'll meet again until after the war."

"What if I do want to go with you?"

"Heh, it might be more interesting than staying here, but do you really want to spend the rest of the war fighting alongside the enemy? Are you willing to leave your family and friends behind?" Zuko asked her.

"Right, I suppose it would be for the best if I stayed home… but then Azula would expect me by her side. Zuko, if our paths should meet on the battlefield…?"

"You'll know what to do then, I'm sure of it. Now Mai, I should get going, if there's a picture of you I could take with me, I'd love to have one with me so I could still see your face."

Mai went upstairs and returned to Zuko with a locket with a picture of her inside it, they kissed and Zuko went back to the palace. He grabbed his duel swords along with a war horn and prepared for a confrontation with his father. He knew it was going to be dangerous, but he planned on telling him the full truth. He had a lot to get off of his chest, and it would be more honorable of him to let the Fire Lord to learn that his son is going to stab him in the back once the battle's over.

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Team Avatar reached the shores, and Aang took flight right away with Katara and Sokka riding in on Appa, the Earth tanks were deployed, the Water Tribe soldiers charged out and they all filed their way towards the army base, although it was a little ways into the mainland. So, naturally, they did come across a few soldiers, and off they were to start whipping their tails. Sokka clonked a couple of them in the head with his boomerang, Katara froze some feet in place to immobilize them, the Earthbenders simply breezed past them in their tanks. Team Avatar advanced with such ferocity that they were simply pushing the Fire Nation out of their paths, and it didn't help the Fire Nation that their bending was starting to get weaker, and they knew that at some point it would be gone, if only for eight minutes… but quite a bit can happen in eight minutes.

Although things were easy for them along the way to the base, there would be fun to have once they actually reach it!

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The royal family had evacuated the palace and hid away in ordered to be protected from the invaders. Zuko only spent time in the chamber to mull over what he was going to say to his father. After all he was going to stand, armed, before Ozai and tell him that he was going to join the Avatar to dethrone him, so whatever he was going to say, be better choose his words wisely… and he certainly wasn't going to face his father without the eclipse to protect him, he didn't need to leave the Fire Nation again with another disfiguring scar!

However, just as he was about to find Ozai's door, so he could wait for the eclipse, he overheard a guard reporting that the Invasion has targeted a military base rather than his palace.

"I'll go out to help deal with them then." Azula stated, and Zuko heard her footsteps running off. Azula didn't have much in the way of other fighting tactics aside from her bending, but she knew how to direct orders. With Azula no longer of a concern, Zuko stood before the door to his father's hiding room and waited for the eclipse.

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The military base still had some soldiers stationed there, but it was clear that they weren't prepared for the invasion to his them. Aang was the first to arrive, and he started blowing soldiers off of their feet. A group of half a dozen soldiers had circled around Aang, but he just created a wind barrier around him and expanded it until they all just blew away. He then started to make attempts to sink the base into the earth with his bending, but being the only Earthbender in the area for the moment, he could only a little bit at a time, and he still had to direct his attention to the Fire Nation soldiers that advanced on him and bent their fire at him, but the eclipse was drawing near.

When the Earthbenders arrived then it was time to really sink the base, the Water Tribe soldiers and swamp benders focused on driving back the Fire Nation, and Team Avatar worked on destroying the artillery. They found airships and Toph's Metalbending skills came in handy there, there was also a foundry wherein parts were assembled, and that just had to go too, but to get inside they had to get through the labyrinth that was the inside of the base

As the eclipse started to block the sun, the Firebenders' power went from weak to nonexistent, rendering them almost defenseless. All they could do was to retreat.

However, when Team Avatar went into the base, they encountered the terrible familiar figure of Princess Azula.

"So, young Avatar, you are alive indeed, I had a hunch that you were, but that doesn't matter, we've known about the invasion for months now… What I don't know is how you got wind of that information. I know that someone is a traitor, but I'll dwell on that later, after you taste defeat!"

The team wanted to pick a fight with her, but Sokka declared that it wasn't the right time, and to just keep pushing forward, but then Azula told him: "So, Sokka's your name right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time. She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."

Sokka turned in a rage and slashed his sword at her, snarling: "Where is Suki?!"

Of course Azula wasn't going to be one to tell. She muscled her way out of his grasp, Katara tried to imprison her in ice, and Toph tried to bend the earth and metal forming the structure to try and immobilize her, but the princess ran like a crazed moose-lion. To slow down Team Avatar further from their pursuit of Azula, she had armed soldiers come to her defense, and they were busy trying to tear the place apart.

With a desperate toss of his boomerang, Sokka actually managed to hit Azula upside the head, it was enough to slow her down and shake her footing, but her momentary lapse in coordination didn't allow enough time for them to capture her,

Toph summoned pillars in the base to limit the area of the room, some of them speared through the stored artillery and smashed it up rather well. She even leapt into the air at one point and drove a crack across the base, almost splitting the building in half!

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Now that the eclipse had completely blocked off his ability to bend, it was time for Zuko to face his father; he opened the doors to his chambers and stepped inside.

"Prince Zuko, what are you doing here?" Ozai asked.

"I came here to tell you the truth."

"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting." Ozai chuckled he dismissed his guards and sat back to listen… to actually listen for once.

"First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me.

"Why would she lie to me about that?"

"Because the Avatar is not dead. He survived."

"What?!" Ozai exclaimed, quite in an alarmed fashion at that.

"In fact, he is among those leading this invasion. He could be on us right now. " Zuko replied.

"Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you!" Ozai ordered as he got to his feet in anger.

"That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore." Zuko declared.

"You will obey me or this defiant breath will be your last!" Ozai snarled as he seethed in rage. He began to walk towards Zuko, but then he pulled out his swords and brandished them before his father. Zuko had means to fight, Ozai, without his bending, did not.

"Think again! I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen." Zuko declared.

Ozai backed down and took his seat again.

"For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted, but really I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me; a 13-year-old boy to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

"It was to teach you respect."

"It was cruel! And it was wrong."

"Then you have learned nothing."

"No, I've learned everything! And I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness." Zuko replied.

"Your Uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?" Ozai spoke with a mocking chuckle.

Zuko closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again with an almost small smirk spreading across his face: "Yes. He has… and so has the Avatar!"

"WHAT?!" Ozai exclaimed.

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Back at the army base, more Fire Nation troops had turned up to defend it, about ready to overwhelm the resistance. The Earthbenders continued to sink it deeper into the ground, and their efforts were doing a fine job in bringing down the ceilings in the underground rooms. Although the Fire Nation numbers were growing, there was little they could do without their bending, and increasing lack of artillery.

Inside the base, Azula had put enough space between herself and Team Avatar to catch a breath, and the eclipse would be ending soon.

However, Katara found some extra strength in the moon's presence, and pulled water from both her water skins and the air, she used tentacles of water to snatch up the Fire Nation troops, and throw them out of sight, or to freeze them in place, and even lay down icy patches on the floor, upon which her enemies would slip!

They had torn the place up enough, if they dealt any more damage to the base, they'd end up collapsing it on themselves, and so it was time to start retreating. With the amount of troops to have gathered by now, getting back out would be like going into a whole other battle itself! Also, they were running low on time before the Firebending came back.

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"After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real father to me.

"That's just beautiful. Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure." Ozai replied with a sarcastic chuckle.

"There's something else. During my hunt for the Avatar, I came to certain realizations, and had decided to give up my hunt for him, and instead decided to join him and his friends. After I leave here, I'm to start teaching him Firebending and training him in order to defeat you."

"Really? Since you're a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless, you've got your swords, why don't you just do it now?" Ozai asked with a sly grin.

"Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny… Goodbye. " Zuko replied as he sheathed his weapons. He turned to walk away.

"Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the Sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your Mother?" Ozai asked.

"Oh, I believe that I get the story by now. After the death of Lu Ten you approached your father in order to request for Iroh's birthright. You angered your father, and said that you should feel Iroh's pain. To save my life,you and mother carried out some sort of plot, leading to Fire Lord Azulon's death, and you forged his will so that you could take the throne for yourself. Mother always had a certain love for plants, perhaps she fixed you up with a poison, which she gave you to do what you wanted with it."

"Ha, ha, you're getting too clever for your own good. You've figured out my plot to seize the throne from back then. Now I suppose it's my turn to tell the truth: That day, I did anger my father, but what father has his son kill his own grandson? In actuality, my father told me that he had planned for you to succeed your uncle, and now that I had insulted Iroh by requesting his birthright, Azulon told me that I had disgraced him, and was prepared to strip me of my title. Naturally I wouldn't let that happen, and it so happened that Azula had been listening in on me, and so we came up with the plot that you've just described; and your mother took our bait. She did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished."

"So she's alive." Zuko spoke.

"Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper."

Ozai felt the eclipse pass the sun and as Zuko turned away again, he started to bend lightning, he thrust his fingers forward and fired an incredible bolt of lightning at Zuko. To his shock, Zuko caught his lightning with the tips of his fingers, sliding backward from the force of the attack, the lightning crackled around him, but at last Zuko had a chance to try out Iroh's technique, he channeled the lingtning down to his stomach and then thrust his other hand forward, redirecting the lightning in Ozai's direction. Ozai flew backwards in contact with the strike and resulting explosion, he even took a tapestry down with him.

Ozai got back to his feet, prepared to attack Zuko once again, but he had since fled.

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The eclipse was over, and the resistance was at the start of their retreat. With their Earthbenders, they managed to escape the bowl they created for the base but Firebenders had a way of launching themselves into the air in order to pursue them, there was also the fact that the Fire Nation had a vast army, Katara took up the rear to ice the ground behind them, and create giant spikes of ice, but they were getting surrounded. One Firebender took a shot, and struck her father in the side. He landed hard against the tree and hit the ground, no doubt that he had, at the very least, dislocated something. Katara ran over to her father, and managed to heal him up quickly, but then, as Bato helped to get Hakoda back onto his feet, he told Katara: "You and the youngest of us need to get on that bison and get out of here, we'll stay behind and surrender, it's what's best."

Aang heard this and after everyone had a chance to say 'goodbye' to their friends and fathers, he ushered Haru, Sokka, The Duke, Teo, and Toph onto Appa's back, Katara hugged her father for her goodbye and got on herself. Aang thanked everyone for their efforts, and Appa took flight. Aang silently promised that he wouldn't allow his comrades to be imprisoned for very long.

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When Zuko reached the prison to free Iroh, he found out that he had already busted himself out! According to the warden, Iroh had somehow managed to transform his body into that of a muscle-bound warrior in his cell, he broke himself out by grabbing the warden's arm and pulling him into the bars, where he was able to steal the key and let himself out, powerful enough to clear away anyone in his path.

Zuko didn't have the time to search for his uncle, there was no doubt that Ozai was seething with rage and was ready to kill him. So he had to flee, luckily he had planned for this, and had prepared a war balloon for his escape. He made a run for it with very little trouble on the way there.

He fired up the balloon and as he floated past the army base, he found it almost damaged beyond repair, and he saw troops trying to chip their comrades out of ice and rock.

In the distance he saw Appa flying towards the west, perhaps they were heading towards the air temple that way. Zuko used his bending to propel the balloon faster, and once he was clear over the island, he picked up his warhorn, and blew a few notes. He then aimed, and shot a fireball past the bison, but far enough away as to not spook him.

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"Did you guys hear that?" Sokka asked.

"Hear what?" Haru asked.

"It sounded like a horn." Sokka replied. Another note sounded and soon after that a sole fireball flew past them!

"Are they chasing after us?" The Duke asked with worry. Sokka took out a spyglass and saw the source of the fireball, and declared: "No, it's Zuko! He made it out!"

Aang steered his bison to intercept Zuko.

"Aang, it's good to see you're doing well!" He called out.

"It was a close call back at Ba Sing Se! I'm glad that you made it out alright too, but we'll catch up at the Western Air temple, can your balloon hold one more? Appa will get tired carrying this many people, so I can fly someone over to you."

"Yeah there's room for a couple more!" Zuko replied. Sokka volunteered to go over to Zuko's balloon, and so Aang flew him over, and the brothers in arms were reunited, and the Fire Nation faded away as they chased the western horizon.

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 **Wow, I'm impressed that I got an over 4000 word chapter in this fast! I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Special credit to: Kevinbeck518 for coming up with the alternate take on Ozai's confession, that was awesome to write.**

 **Please review.**


	18. Chapter 18: Wind and Sun

**XVIII: Wind and Sun**

Zuko told Aang that he wanted to get to the ruins of the Sun Warriors as soon as possible, pretty much right after they landed at the Western Air Temple. Katara protested for Aang, saying the they just got our of a battle and that they've exhausted themselves, and so it was a time for them to rest.

"Listen, I can understand the importance of rest, but with the approach of Sozin's comet, Aang's going to need to learn Firebending as soon as possible; and now that I'm going to fight along with you, then I want to improve on my technique as well… and given that Uncle managed to learn more Firebending techniques by applying techniques he learned from the other elements, then I'd like to see what can happen if the other elements could find something to borrow from Firebending, and what I could learn from the other elements; I've mentioned this in my letters." Zuko stated.

"If you wish to learn from the other elements, then how about we start with my teaching you the fundamentals of Airbending? Without air, I've learned that there is no fire, it needs air to breathe. With a little extra air, I've seen fire flare up in greater strength." Aang told Zuko.

"Very well, Avatar Aang, teach me the wisdom of your people." Zuko replied.

Aang spent the better part of the day explaining the general aspects of the Air Nomad culture, why they don't eat meat, and that all life was sacred, violence was only used in the direst of situations., and how they had little in the way of earthly attachments so that their spirit could be free. He taught Zuko how Air was the element of freedom.

His teachings actually became a point of fascination for everyone else at the temple, and soon Aang found out that he was teaching a whole class on the Air Nomads. He lectured on some of the more famous teachings from the greatest masters of Airbending.

The other part of the day, Aang spent it with the benders showing them some basic moves, like simply creating a blast of air and he also showed them the movements to make the air scooter. There was something about the air scooter movements that intrigued Zuko, he believed that it would translate into his bending.

"The key to bending air is spiral movements, when you come across any resistance, you change direction, like a leaf on the wind." Aang told them.

"Spiral movements… I think I could use some of those to improve a technique for whirlpools and water spouts." Katara stated.

"Those already move in a spiral, Katara, I know that you've led a structured life with a sense of duty, but if you want to use air techniques, you should get creative." Aang stated. Katara looked over to the waterfall thoughtfully and pulled some of the water towards her, she held it above her head and gathered it into a large blob before freezing it. Now a solid block of ice she still held it in the air, then she launched it across the canyon, and she made a move where she threw both arms forward in a motion she saw Aang use to create a gust of wind, the ice broke off into sharp shards and became a mass of scattered projectiles, some of the shards embedded in the walls of the other side of the canyon.

"Whoa, Katara that was great! Does anyone else want to try something?" Aang said.

Toph and Haru figured out how to use some air techniques to bend quicker so their movements weren't as stiff and deliberate. Toph even figured out how to create a dust devil with Airbending techniques. She brought up the dirt from the ground and kept turning it into a spiral until it actually generated some wind.

"Excellent, Toph." Aang told her.

It became an interesting day, but Aang was surprised that although he told the benders that he wanted to learn from them, Zuko actually didn't practice any new moves. When he confronted Zuko about this, he merely replied: "I wanted to see the ruins of the Sun Warriors before I try anything new."

"Alright then, tomorrow, I'll be ready for the trip." Aang replied.

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As the evening drew in, Team Avatar was unaware of an unwanted intruder approaching… It was the assassin that they had called 'Combustion Man'. He stood on a cliff silently. Combustion Man took a deep breath, and took a deep breath and took a shot!

"TAKE COVER!" Zuko called out, spotting the assassin, everyone scattered: Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph ran one way; Teo, The Duke, and Haru ran in another, and Zuko was alone trying to make a mad dash for Combustion Man while making sure that he didn't get blown up himself.

He managed to climb up to the ledge Combustion Man was standing on and ordered: "STOP, your mission is off, I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore!"

However the assassin kept firing.

"If you don't stop, I won't pay you!" Zuko threatened, but it fell on deaf ears. So he tried again, giving the assassin a good lunge that knocked off his aim, but the assassin still persisted.

"Alright, I'll pay you double to stop!" Zuko called out, but once again the assassin refused to listen! Zuko was coming in hot trying to Firebend at the assassin! However, his efforts resulted in Zuko getting thrown off of the edge and clinging to dear life onto a vine.

Since Zuko was currently out for the fight, and Combustion Man took a shot at anyone that dared to emerge from their hiding spot, Sokka took the initiative with his boomerang. He calculated the right angle and tossed the boomerang! The boomerang sailed through the air, and struck Combustion Man square in the center of his eye in his forehead! With a final shot, his bending ended up backfiring on him and he ended blowing himself up!

"Yeah, Boomerang!" Sokka cheered as he caught his trusty weapon, and then the team rushed over to help Zuko out.

"You couldn't find someone a bit more incompetent to chase us for you?" Toph questioned.

"Azula picked him out… Sorry about that guys." Zuko spoke, and Toph jabbed a punch into his upper arm.

Once everyone had settled down, it was time to go to sleep.

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Aang and Zuko woke up early the next morning to set out for their trip. They only needed light provisions so they were pretty much off right away. It turned out to be a longer flight than Zuko had imagined, but he sat tight.

The Ruins were an amazing sight. For ruins they were actually mostly intact…

… And so ere some of the booby traps.

Aang caught his foot on a tripwire, and the walkway sank down to reveal spikes, and he had to bend his way over the trap to keep from getting impaled. Zuko crossed the trap by running around it on the wall.

They found a few things including a mural of dragons surrounding a man in fire, Aang questioned Zuko about the friendliness of dragons to the Sun Warriors, and Zuko merely replied: "Well they had a funny way of showing it."

The last thing they found was what appeared to be a temple to only open on the solstice. However, Zuko tricked the gate by reflecting the sunlight off of his sword and onto the mystic stone that triggered the opening mechanism.

Going inside they found a series of statues standing in poses, and off of a plaque that the statues were demonstrating a Firebending form called the Dragon's Dance. They followed the statues, performing the moves until they triggered a column to rise, bearing a glowing egg-shaped stone.

"Whoa, what is that?" Zuko asked, and he looked it over.

"Look all you want, but I don't think that it'll be a good idea to pick it up. We saw those traps outside, and clearly someone wanted to keep that hidden." Aang cautioned.

They looked at the stone, until someone called out: "WHO GOES THERE!"

Zuko and Aang jumped with startled screams as they found themselves looking at the current Sun Warriors!

"Trying to steal our Sun Stone are you?" The Chief questioned.

"No, sir, we were just trying to learn the Dragon's Dance when we accidentally brought it up. We haven't touched it." Zuko replied.

"Yet, you mean. I can see that you haven't touched it yet, otherwise you would've gotten caught in its trap." The Chief told them. Aang and Zuko exchanged looks and darted out of the temple. They gave him the Fire Nation bow and Aang explained: "We are the Avatar Aang, and the Fire Prince Zuko. Zuko is to be my teacher, but he wished to come and learn your ways of Firebending before teaching me. We're sorry for trespassing in your temple."

"My people, over the past 100 years have distorted the ways of Firebending. I believe that my Uncle Iroh may have been trying to teach me your ways, but now I've come to learn directly from you." Zuko stated.

"Very well, by sunset you shall meet the masters, and they shall judge you." The Chief replied.

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They brought them to the sight of the first fire, and gave Aang and Zuko a part of it. Aang voiced that he was a bit worried about it, but once he took the flame in his hand, he said that it felt like a little heartbeat.

On their way to meet the masters, Zuko noticed that Aang's fire had shrunken to the point where he might be in danger of having it go out on him. He had heard that Aang had burned Katara the first time he tried Firebending, and Aang had said that he was nervous about trying it again.

"Aang, remember, the first Avatar was also the first true Firebender. You can do this." Zuko stated.

They brought their fire up this bridge between two mountains, and the tribe told them to present their fire for the masters, only at some point their flames had died out, the tribe blew horns and chanted, and then the masters emerged…

The masters, Ran and Shao, were living, gigantic, dragons! They moved as if they were one, twirling and looping in the air. Aang got the idea that the dragons wanted to do something, and had Zuko perform the Dragon's Dance with him as the dragons continued to fly and judge them.

At the end of their forms, Aang and Zuko looked into the eyes of the growling dragons; and suddenly, they were screaming as the dragons made their perch, and surrounded them in a vortex of flames! It was terrifying, but when Zuko and Aang opened their eyes, they saw flames in a rainbow of colors! The flames were alive in shades of: red, orange, gold, white, green, and violet blue!

"I understand." Zuko spoke softly.

The masters judged them, and gave them visions of the meaning of fire, it was energy and life, like a sun within a person!

"Now that you have learned the secrets, and you know about our tribe's existence, we have no choice but to imprison you here forever." The Chief declared. The boys looked at the chief with shocked faces, but then the Chief told them: "Just kidding. But seriously, don't tell anyone!"

Aang and Zuko, thanked the Chief for his service to them and soon left to return to the Western Air Temple.

On their way back to the Air Temple, Aang turned to Zuko and asked him: "How would you like me to teach you about chakras? A guru taught me about them to help me master the Avatar State, maybe as a bender they can benefit you too, as would the other benders."

"That sounds good, Aang." Zuko replied.

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They returned to the air temple, and Zuko and Aang showed off the Dragon's dance to their friends, and Zuko promptly started training Aang in beginners and intermediate Firebending techniques. Aang learned them quickly, and was beginning to enjoy bending fire, but Zuko made sure that he never got too carried away.

At some point, during the night, Aang taught Zuko some basic Airbending techniques that he was able to translate into his Firebending. What came from Zuko, were small, twirling vortexes of flames that were almost as colorful as the dragons' fire!

Little did Zuko know, he would soon discover a hidden power deep within himself.

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 **Guess what guys, I'm really looking forward to giving you a special surprise in the next chapter!**

 **Please review.**


	19. Chapter 19: Spirit

**XIX: Spirit**

The next day, early in the morning, the benders left the nonbenders off for Aang to teach them about chakras, he showed them to a peaceful place where they could relax. As they left Katara told Sokka, Teo and The Duke, to take care of the laundry and prepare dinner. They planned on being gone for the whole day.

Aang had set up circles, a small pool of water with a rock at the center, a ring of lit candles (somehow Aang managed to find some that had survived over the years), and two rings of bare earth and rocks. Aang took a seat on a boulder to watch over his friends as they sat in the rings in accordance of their respective elements with Momo on his shoulder.

"Alright, chakras are within your body and sprit, they flow like a stream with pools of water to which the flow rests and swirls before flowing into the next pool, but certain life experiences can lead you to block this stream, and so I'm going to guide you through to help you release those blocks. This technique was to help me master the Avatar State, but I believe that it may help you to fully realize your elements. Is everyone ready?" Aang spoke.

Everyone nodded.

"Alright, everyone pose like I am, hands in the same position… Good. The first chakra is the chakra of earth, located at the base of the spine, it deals with survival and is blocked by fear. Think of what you're most afraid of…"

For Toph it was never being accepted by her parents, for Haru it was being taken away from his family and being left to rot in a prison cell, for Katara it was her mother's murderer, and for Zuko it would be to live life as a failure. Some of them had looks of discomfort and others screamed.

"… Your visions are not real, now take your fears, and let them go." Aang told them.

They managed to think of a way to conquer their fears and move on within themselves.

"Good, good, now the second is the water chakra, located at the sacrum. It deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt, look at all the guilt which burdens you, what do you blame yourself for?"

Right off the bat for Katara it was stealing the Waterbending scroll for her own selfish desires, and it led to her brother and Aang getting attacked by pirates and Zuko, back when he was the enemy; for Toph it was abandoning her parents, she knew she had to leave them, but she knew that she hurt them; for Haru it was leaving his father behind after the battle and letting him get captured again, and for Zuko it was turning his back on the team in Ba Sing Se, had he stayed with them, perhaps Aang wouldn't have gotten struck by lightning.

"Now take that guilt and let it go."

This one was a bit harder to get through, but they strove for some inner peace, and managed to let their guilt go.

"Next we have the chakra of fire, located in the stomach, it deals with power and is blocked by shame. What are you ashamed of? Lay it out, and let it go."

For Zuko it was killing Jet, it was in self-defense, but he used his bending on a nonbender, and it just didn't seem fair; for Katara it was Bloodbending, and realizing that she had the power to hurt others, for Toph it was actually her initial attitude for Katara, and for Haru, he thought back to his early childhood when he accidentally brought down a rockslide that nearly wiped out a herd of horse-ostriches… but they let it go… Aang could tell when everyone let out a belch… Toph's was the loudest.

"Right… I probably should've warned you that the Fire chakra opens less like a flowing creek and more like a burping bison. Alright, now we're on to the Air chakra, located in the heart. It deals with love and is blocked by grief. You all need to lay all the grief out in front of you and let it go."

"Wait, am I just supposed to forget about my mother?" Katara asked.

"No, not forget her, but to not allow your grief to be a burden to you." Aang replied.

Everyone laid their grief out in front of them, and let it go with tears falling from their eyes. Everyone had suffered a loss at some point.

"At this point we can take a break. Would anyone like a snack? I have enough nuts and berries for everyone." Aang told them. They didn't leave their rings, but they enjoyed their snacks before Aang continued on with: "The next chakra is of truth, located in the throat, and is blocked by lies, the ones we tell ourselves."

They let go of their lies and accepted the truths.

"At the center of the forehead we have the light chakra, it deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same. If you open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one. Four parts of the same whole. Even metal is just a part of Earth, that has been purified and refined."

They realized that everything was connected, and let go of separation.

"Finally, we have the thought chakra, located at the crown of the head, this is the one that was supposed to help me get into the Avatar State, but after my attack in Ba Sing it's been blocked. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world. Now, let all of those attachments go."

The benders found themselves walking on an astral plane, heading towards an image of the original masters of their element, the moon, the badger mole, and the dragon. However, there seemed to be something about Zuko's dragon that seemed a bit off. It looked like a shell containing a spirit. He walked ever closer to the dragon and it finally descended upon him. Within his body, Zuko felt like something woke up in him!

Katara, Toph, and Haru opened their eyes, absolutely breathless. For they had received visions of the full potential of their elements, both in the most beautiful of ways, and the most terrifying. For example, Katara had a vision of being able to pull water from living beings, leaving behind bodies of meat raisins, but also helping life to flourish.

However, for Zuko, something definitely woke up within him, it was more than just a full realization of the elements. His eyes snapped open, and they were glowing gold! He threw his head back as if it had been pulled by an unseen force, and a stream of flame plumed from his mouth like a dragon's fire!

All the other benders took cover and Momo flew off with a screech, as whatever overcame Zuko had him going out of control! He had gotten to his feet, but fire sprang from his mouth every time he exhaled, with propulsion, he was and it didn't help that he was on the verge of hyperventilating! Whatever it was that overcame him, he was aware that it was happening, and it drove him into a panic!

Katara bent the water from her water skin and made tendrils to restrain Zuko, Toph trapped him in an encasement of rock and so Katara bent the water and used her healing powers to relax whatever it was within Zuko that just suddenly woke up and made him go out of control. When his eyes went from glowing gold to yellow again, he finally relaxed. Toph freed him, and everyone took a step back.

"What just happened?" Toph asked.

"I-I'm not sure." Zuko replied.

"You looked as you'd gone into the Avatar State, but I have it on good authority that my eyes and tattoos glow white, your eyes were gold." Aang stated. By this time Momo had returned to his shoulder, now that everything had calmed down.

"How is that even possible? There's no way that there's a second Avatar!" Zuko exclaimed.

"No, but you are the great-grandson of one… maybe that has something to do with this. If I could get in touch with one of my past lives, or in touch with the spirit Raava, we might get an answer." Aang replied. He led Zuko away and told the others to practice their forms.

Aang took Zuko to a room inside the temple where they could meditate without fear of interruption.

 _Alright, Avatars before me, can anyone help me to figure out what is happening with my friend, Zuko?_ Aang asked within himself.

He opened in his eyes and came with a vision of an Air Nomad Avatar!

"I am Avatar Yang Chen, and I have been a rather scholarly Avatar, always favoring settling conflicts with my wits whenever possible."

"Avatar Yang Chen, my friend and Firebending teacher has discovered about himself. I taught him how to open up his chakras, in hopes that he and my other bending friends could fully realize their bending potential! However, when he opened up his thought chakra, he opened his eyes and they were glowing gold!"

"Hmm, this is intriguing… Is he related to another Avatar?" Yang Chen asked.

"Yes, he's the great-grandson of Avatar Roku."

"Aang, I once had a friend named Miyako Su, she was fascinated in hereditary genes and the spirit world, and one day she came to me and gave me a theory: because the Avatar is the product of a human combined with the spirit of Raava, a child of the Avatar could also be considered a child of Raava, provided if a part of her had passed into the child as a gene. Should a child of Raava be born a bender, the child would have the potential to master a state similar to the Avatar State."

"I guess it's possible that the gene could be passed through more than one generation." Aang stated.

"That is the way with genes. Sometimes they skip generations before they show up again." Yang Chen replied.

Aang opened his eyes to see Zuko, he looked at Aang eagerly and asked: "Did you get any answers?"

"I spoke with the Air Nomad Avatar before me, she told me that it is possible that your spirit holds a child of Raava, as you told me in a letter, Raava is the spirit what combines with a human to become the Avatar. The presence of Raava's child in you can triggered your glowing eyes, it must've been when you fully realized your element."

"Alright, and since I apparently have this gene… what now?"

"You should learn how to master it. Now that it has woken up, you may run the risk of triggering it when you're overemotional, it's happened to me a few times already with the Avatar State. In your… uh… What do you want to call it when your eyes start glowing? It can't be the Avatar State."

"How about we call it the Dragon State? After the first Firebending masters, and how I reacted when I triggered it." Zuko replied.

"I like it, and I'm sure that Sokka might've come up with the same thing. Okay, so your Dragon State, if you trigger it involuntarily, you could cause a lot of destruction. If you master it, you could trigger it at will and have complete control of yourself, while also becoming the most powerful Firebender you can be."

"Well then, I guess we should start practicing your forms some more." Zuko stated.

They returned to the benders and they explained what happened with Zuko.

"It's almost not fair, the Fire Nation is already so powerful." Haru stated.

"Well then, it's a good thing that I'm on your side then, Haru; once this war is over, I promise you that your father will be pardoned, and I'd even escort him myself back to you… I'll make sure that Hakoda will be pardoned too, Katara." Zuko replied.

"Come on, let's get back to bending! Haru, maybe I can teach you the ways of Metalbending!" Toph told them, and they wandered off to continue their training; for a long day. Aang even worked on Zuko's Dragon State, to the point where he could trigger it at will and get out of it, but it did seem to exhaust him whenever he got out of it.

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When they returned to the Air Temple where they left Sokka, Teo, and The Duke, they found that a fancy tent had been erected while they had been out for the day, by now it was night. Sokka stepped out wearing robes and a hat, Momo leapt from Aang's shoulder and into the tent.

"Welcome Lord Momo, we've been keeping your hat warm for you." Sokka stated in his posh voice. Sure he welcomed the lemur, but when Aang approached, with childish excitement, he was denied entry as Sokka stated: "So sorry Aang, but you can't come in."

"You let Momo in." Aang challenged.

"Of course, he isn't a bender and this is strictly and bend-free establishment!" Sokka replied, he turned back inside and called out: "Hey, leave some of those lychee nuts for me!"

Aang retreated back to the benders as Katara spoke: "Don't worry about it, Aang, we're at war, we have to train, it's not your fault that he's being such a baby about it. He'll come back to us in a few hours when he's bored"

They sat around a campfire, which Zuko lit for them and they prepared a quick dinner.

"Let the first meeting of the Bendless Boomerang Club COMMENCE!" They heard Sokka announce: "There will be snacks and beverages served in the main hall, and Advanced Boomerang lessons in the foyer."

"Sokka never showed me how to use a boomerang." Aang grumbled.

"Aang, you can throw rocks with your mind." Katara told him.

"Still…"

A second later a toy, looking like an airplane, flew over their heads, but as Aang tried to catch it, Teo and The Duke rolled in and snatched it out of the air! Teo smiled and The Duke spoke: "Wow this went a long way!"

"Yeah, let's go test out the other ones I've made!" Teo replied, then he rolled back into Sokka's fancy tent.

"Did you see that awesome flying toy?!" Aang asked in excitement.

"Nope." Toph replied.

"We have to get in that clubhoue!" Aang declared.

"Why? It's just a bunch of stupid kiddie stuff." Zuko replied.

"They have flying toys!" Aang exclaimed.

"You're an Airbender." Zuko stated.

"And hats!"

"Aang, you're the Avatar, I think you've got more important things to worry about." Haru replied.

Aang finally settled back down and told them: "Ah, you're right, it's stupid, I don't need to be in some silly club."

"Get some sleep, Aang, you'll feel better about it in the morning… Hey, you gave us some pretty good lessons today." Katara spoke. Aang sighed and turned in for the night.

However, the next morning, Aang was on his knees at Sokka's feet as he begged for Sokka to let him in: " _PLEASE_ can I be in your club!"

"Well, I suppose that we can make another exception." Sokka replied.

" _Another_?" Aang questioned. Sokka opened the lap to the tent and he found _everyone_ inside!

"I thought you all said this was all dumb kids' stuff!" Aang exclaimed.

"Well, they were having a Pai Sho tournament, and it's um… what uncle would want." Zuko replied.

"Free foot massages twice a week, enough said!" Toph declared.

"And you know… the hats." Katara added both she and Haru were blushing a bit. Haru was currently interested in one of Teo's flying toys.

Aang turned back to Sokka and told him: "I'm glad you let us benders join your club, it's pretty great."

"Of course, of course, but you still have to recite the Boomeranger oath!" Sokka replied, and he had the benders take a knee and recite: "I pledge my allegiance to my bendless brethren, and admit that no bending can equal the might of the noble boomerang, one team, under hats, indivisible, with snacks and field trips for all!"

They spent a fair chunk of the day just having some fun for once. Zuko beat most of the players in Pai Sho, Teo showed Aang and Haru how his flying toys worked. At some point they went outside the tent so Sokka could teach them how to throw a boomerang, and let everyone give it a shot… The Duke had a surprisingly good toss for a little kid!

Sokka and Zuko also gave them a spectator sport of having a duel, now that Sokka had some training with Zuko's sword master, he was more of an equal match, but Zuko was still a better swordfighter, but then again, he was fighting with his dual swords.

However, as the sun was setting, Sokka pulled Zuko away and told him: "Katara and told me what happened yesterday while you guys were off doing your bending stuff. It sounded pretty scary. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Aang taught me how to control it, and we decided to call it the Dragon State." Zuko replied.

"Dragon State, I like it! So do you think that you can bend lightning now?" Sokka asked.

"Let's see…" Zuko closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearing his chakras, and he made the movements to bend lightning, and to his amazement, he created the spark and guided the bolts around before sending it into the sky!

"Whoa! I did it! That's the first time I've ever bent lightning! I've redirected it, but never bent it before."

"It's impressive… So, listen, I'm worried about my dad, he stayed behind while we fled, no doubt that he's been captured. Where would they have taken him?"

"My best guess would be the Boiling Rock." Zuko replied.

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 **Now that was fun to write!**

 **Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20: The Boiling Rock

**XX: The Boiling Rock**

"Sokka, why did you want to know what prison your father might be in?" Zuko asked.

"Oh, it would just give me some peace of mind just knowing where he is."

"Would you like to try and break him out?"

"Why? Wh-what makes you think that I'd want to do that?" Sokka questioned.

"I've been with you long enough to tell that you were lying to me a moment ago. Besides, if we're to agree with my uncle when he said we were becoming brothers in Ba Sing Se, then I can't let you go doing something reckless on your own. We can take my war balloon there, and we can leave while everyone's asleep." Zuko replied.

"Agreed then." Sokka replied.

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Sokka and Zuko snuck away as soon as everyone was sound asleep, leaving a note saying that they were going out hunting and that Aang should practice his Firebending exercises while they were gone, and took off on the war balloon.

"It's going to be a while until we get there." Zuko stated as they took off.

"So, did anything interesting while you were back home?" Sokka asked.

"Honestly, when I returned to the palace it felt more like I had left home. My father and sister are a menacing duo, you guys, and Mai, were much more welcoming… Father, however, on the Day of Black Sun, revealed something quite treacherous to me."

"Care to share some details?" Sokka asked.

"Apparently after my cousin's death, I would've been appointed as Uncle Iroh's heir. After my father had asked for Iroh's birthright, Fire Lord Azulon was offended by my father's actions, and had planned to strip my father of his title and disown him. It happened that Azula listened in on him and they considered a plot: Azula would tell our mother that Fire Lord Azulon was going to have father kill me so that he could understand his brother's pain. It was a trick to get my mother to step in and help to provide my father with what he wanted: the throne. My mother was a talented herbalist, so I hardly have a doubt that she may've concocted a poison and had father do what he pleased with it, leading to my grandfather's demise."

"Dang, how is it that you're not crazy after coming from such a messed up family? No offense!" Sokka asked.

"Easy, I got banished for three years, so I got away from the crazy before I caught it completely!" Zuko replied.

"Did you just try to make a joke?"

"Yes, I believe I did… So, Sokka, would you mind if I asked you something a little personal?"

"That depends on the question."

"Do you sometimes wish that you were a bender?"

"Perhaps, yes, I mean you guys make it look like a lot of fun, but it also seems like this power comes with a lot of responsibility."

"You're right, power does come with responsibility. I've felt what it does when it gets out of control… but if you could have any form of bending, what element would you take?" Zuko asked.

"Believe it or not, I might have to go with Firebending. I could use it to cook my food, but if you tell Katara that I said that, you will face the wrath of my boomerang!" Sokka replied.

"Hey, I wouldn't want you to face the wrath that is Katara."

"So, Zuko, if you could have any other form of bending, what other element would you pick?"

"I think that I might have to go with Airbending, Aang makes it look like a lot of fun, that's something that seems to run a bit short in the Fire Nation… but I wouldn't follow the customs too closely, I like eating meat too much."

"Haha, yeah, me too!" Sokka replied. Sokka looked over the balloon basket and then spoke: "Speaking of meat, do you think that you can catch us some fish?"

They were flying over water, and Zuko saw some fish swimming in the ocean below them and replied: "I can shock them with lightning, but then I'd have to go down to get them."

"Fire away!"

Zuko cleared his mind and guided a bolt of lightning to strike the water, upon impact, he electrocuted some fish and then he jumped over the basket to retrieve them. He used his Firebending to fly over the water while he scooped a few fish out and then flew back up into the balloon. Fish in hand, Sokka cleaned them and Zuko roasted them.

"Yeah, perhaps when you're in power, I'd make the Fire Nation a regular vacation spot. The local cuisine really grew on me, and _everyone_ looked good in red." Sokka replied.

"Should I tell Katara you said that?" Zuko asked. Sokka flashed his boomerang.

"So, was it hard leaving Mai behind?" Sokka asked.

"I think that it was harder for her, but I had my doubts that she'd like being a high-class lady hanging out with those beneath her rank and sleeping on dirt. What about you, did you have to say goodbye to anyone?"

"Well there was Suki of the Kiyoshi warriors, but my first girlfriend turned into the moon."

That's rough buddy." Zuko replied, unsure of how else to respond to something like that.

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They arrived at the volcano wherein the Boiling Rock resided. The prison was on a tiny island, surrounded by the hot spring that filled the volcano. The war balloon crashed as the water outside was the same temperature inside. Sokka wasn't too choked up about it, he figured that the balloon might've been a one-way ticket anyway, and so he sank the balloon before they were caught.

They snuck inside the prison and dressed up as guards. Zuko made extra sure that his helmet would stay on firm. There was no doubt that the Fire Nation knew of his betrayal, and after assaulting his father, he knew he was a wanted man, and his scar was too distinctive.

As soon as they got into uniform, a 'fellow' guard found them and told them to get to the yard, because there was a disturbance going on.

From the sound of things, a prison guard was actually the one picking a fight with an inmate.

"You didn't bow to me when I arrived." The guard told the inmate.

"What? That's not a prison rule! I'm going back to my cell." The inmate exclaimed. He just turned and walked away, wanting to just get out of it, when the guard bent a fireball at the prisoner and the prisoner redirected it back to the guard.

"Firebending is prohibited, you're going to the cooler, Chit Sang." The guard told him, he pointed to Sokka and ordered him to help take him to the cooler. Sokka whispered: "Meet me back here in an hour."

He then helped to escort Chit Sang to the cooler. The cooler was a small cell for short-term solitary confinement, essentially a human refrigerator. Sokka took a look at Chit Sang as he sat there shivering.

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Zuko found his way to the guards' cafeteria, and a guard called over to him: "Hey, I know it's prison rules to have your helmet on at all times, but here's where you can relax."

"What if there's an incident? If I'm not prepared, someone could strike me on the head." Zuko replied. The guard and a lady guard sitting with him laughed for a moment and the female guard spoke: "Give him a week, he'll loosen up."

"So, can the new guy ask you veterans some questions?" Zuko asked, approaching their table with his tray.

"No, you can't date the female guards." The lady replied.

"Trust me, you don't want to anyway." The male guard added, and his friend threw a cup at his head.

"That wasn't it; the Boiling Rock, it holds the most dangerous criminals in the Fire Nation, right? Does that include war criminals?" Zuko asked.

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"Look alive, here comes the warden!" The guard told Sokka, and they stood at attention. The warden opened the door to the cooler and stepped inside: "I heard you tried to use Firebending to escape."

"I wasn't trying to escape." Chit Sang replied through chattering teeth.

"He's lying, I saw it with my own eyes!" The guard cried out.

"No one has ever escaped here, and I'd sooner jump into the boiling lake myself than to let that record fall. Go back to your shivering." The warden replied and he left.

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"Hello there, fellow guard." Zuko spoke upon meeting up with Sokka.

"Hey Zuko, did you figure out anything?"

"Yeah, I asked around the break room… I'm sorry Sokka, but there're no Water Tribe war prisoners here."

"What?! Are you sure?" Sokka asked. Zuko nodded. Sokka banged his fist into the wall in frustration before turning to Zuko, saying: "So we came all this way for nothing?!" Then he turned so that he was overlooking the yard.

Zuko knew that Sokka was in distress, so he tried to comfort him by trying a proverb that his uncle would say, to Sokka all he heard was some gibberish about clouds and silver sandwiches.

"Hey, maybe we didn't come here for nothing after all! Look over there! It's Suki!" He exclaimed, pointing to a young woman just sitting on a rock, when a bell ring and another guard announced for all prisoners to go back to their cells. With Sokka, his love drive for Suki drove him to chase after her!

Ω £ Ω

Suki was stretched out on her bed, not giving a care for anything, when the door to her cell opened, and a guard came inside. She sat up and calmly asked him: "Did I do something wrong?"

"You mean that you don't recognize me?" The guard asked, crossing his arms.

"You people all look the same to me." Suki replied.

"Oh, well maybe you'll rocognize this then…" The guard told her. He tried to pull her in closer to him when she took a hold of him at his chin and slammed him into the door, knocking his helmet off his head, only to reveal that it was her friend, Sokka! They hugged for a moment and Suki explained how she ended up here. After getting captured by Azula, soon after helping a hurt and scared Appa, she was singled out as the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, and sent her here. She had no idea where the other warriors were by this time, but she also told him: "I'm so glad to see you, Sokka, I knew you'd come someday!"

"I'm not alone, Zuko's outside, keeping watch right now, we're going to get you out of here." Sokka replied.

"You're still travelling with him?" Suki asked.

"Yeah, he's been a lot of help. Suki, I know what he did to your village, but he's a completely different person now."

"I believe you, now you should probably get going before you get caught yourself." Suki replied. The shared one last hug and Sokka snuck out, almost unaware of the fact that Zuko was wrestling with a female guard that had tried to get into Suki's cell.

"Guard, help me! I think he's an imposter! Get him off me and arrest him!" The female guard called out. Not willing to blow his cover, Sokka approached Zuko and took him down.

"Don't worry, I'll figure something out." Sokka whispered as he hauled Zuko away.

Ω £ Ω

The warden entered Zuko's cell a while later, soon after he had just earned himself the inmate's uniform.

"Well, well, Prince Zuko, I never thought that I'd find you in here." He spoke.

"How did you know who I am?"

"How could I not? You were the one who left my niece in tears after the Day of Black Sun."

"You're Mai's uncle? I'm sorry, I tried to let her down as easily as I could." Zuko replied.

"Quiet! You're going to be my _special_ prisoner now. You best behave. If these criminals found out who you are, the traitor prince who let his nation down. Why, they'd tear you to shreds."

"So what's in it for you? You could just send me over to my father and collect whatever reward he has for my head!"

"Believe me, I intend to collect." The Warden replied.

Ω £ Ω

Sokka found Zuko and Suki together, mopping a floor and he got down to tell them of their escape plan. He noted that the coolers were insulated, and would be perfect to use as a boat to get across the boiling lake, there was even a blind spot in the perimeter that would make for a perfect launching point! All they would have to do is just get in the cooler and ride the current to the other side.

"Alright, but how are you going to get the cooler out?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah, how are you going to get the cooler out?" A voice asked. They looked up and it was Chit Sang, he got down to their level and told them: "I know you're hatching an escape plan. Perhaps I might be of some help too. Or… does the warden need to hear about this?"

"Fine, fine, you're in too! First we need someone to unbolt the cooler, so someone needs to get inside." Sokka replied, he pulled out a wrench and passed it over to Zuko.

"Oh, I can get you inside." Chit Sang told them.

He and Zuko took up the mops again and they bumped into each other.

"Hey, what are you stupid? Why don't you watch where you're going?" Chit Sang snapped, giving Zuko a shove.

"Hey, watch who you're shoving!" Zuko snapped back, and they locked themselves into a fight!

"I think you mean _whom_ I'm shoving!" Chit Sang replied, and they continued their wrestling match with fellow inmates cheering them on.

"I need some backup here!" Sokka called out to the other guards. Chit Sang delivered a good kick to Zuko's gut, and launched him several feet, and he came rolling to a stop. Zuko quickly got back to his feet, and with a punch threw a fireball past Chit Sang's head.

"No Firebending! Into the cooler!" A guard told Zuko as he dragged him away.

Ω £ Ω

Sokka waited for over an hour before going to Zuko's cooler and then telling him: "I can take you back to your cell if you've learned your lesson."

Zuko breathed in the warm air from outside and a tongue of flame plumed from his mouth as he showed Sokka all of the bolts he'd collected.

"I got the other's out already, they'll be waiting for us down by the shore." Sokka replied.

"Wait, someone's coming!" Zuko exclaimed in a whisper. Sokka ducked into the cooler as a pair of guards walked by: "New arrivals at dawn."

"Anybody interesting?"

"Nah, just the usual: robbers, traitors, some war criminals, though I did hear that there might be a pirate!"

"War criminals, it could be your dad. Do you still want to carry out this escape, or should we wait and see if he's coming?" Zuko asked

"Would it be right for me to risk Suki's freedom on a slim chance?" Sokka replied.

"It's your call." Zuko replied.

They ended up sneaking the cooler out of there and meeting down by the shore where Chit Sang stood with a pair of his cronies. They got the cooler in the water, but after Suki found out that they came here in hopes of finding Sokka's dad, and that there might be a chance of him arriving by morning, Suki insisted that she could wait a few more days to escape, and that Zuko was willing to wait too. So while Chit Sang and his cronies got into the cooler, the others decided to stay behind.

Ω £ Ω

Not long after reentering the prison, they heard a bellowing scream from Chit Sang as he had gotten tired of the heat from the water and the slow current, but his makeshift oar failed him. They were caught and reeled back into the prison, where Chit Sang would be held for questioning.

Sokka was more focused on the arrival of the gondola with the new prisoners. One by one the new arrivals stepped up, and when all hope seemed to be lost, Hakoda had stepped off.

"Dad." Sokka spoke softly.

Ω £ Ω

Sokka ran up to the welcoming party as the warden laid down the law with the new prisoners.

"… Look me in the eye." The warden spat at Hakoda, whose head was lowered.

"No." Hakoda said flatly. The warden took him down, and demanded that he look him in the eye again. Hakoda glared at him, and as the warden turned away Hakoda raised his manacles and the warden tripped to fall on his face, earning laughs from the new arrivals. Once the warden got back up to his feet, he ordered for the guards to get the prisoners out of his sight.

Ω £ Ω

Hakoda sat in his cell, on the bed, when a guard stepped inside saying: "Thank goodness you're alright!"

Hakoda got to his feet, assuming a fighting stance, and told him: "If you take one step closer, you'll see just how okay I am!"

The guard threw up the visor and Hakoda recognized that it was Sokka, his eyes tearing up with happiness and embraced his son. However, with some time during this lockdown, they decided that it was time to come up with a new escape plan.

Ω £ Ω

Zuko was resting in his cell when Sokka came around to talk to him, he told Zuko that they were going to work on a distraction, but a pair of guards came over to tell Sokka that they needed to take Zuko, and that the warden wanted to see him, so they parted ways.

The warden brought out Chit Sang, and announced that he knew that there was a guard that was an imposter. Sokka was sweating as Chit Sang stepped forward to rat someone out, and it should've been Sokka, but Chit Sang took this as an opportunity to get revenge on his bully guard, and pointed his finger to him. The guard was hauled away, kicking and screaming, and Sokka was left to breathe a sigh of relief.

Zuko was thrown into another room, and he called out to the guards: "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Oh, we both know that's a lie."

Zuko turned to the sound of the voice and saw her: "Mai, how'd you know I was here?"

"The warden's my uncle you idiot."

"Right…" Zuko trailed off.

"Listen, you broke my heart, but at least you looked me I the eye and told me why you did it. I wanted to tell you that I regret not leaving you. Perhaps you were right that I would be miserable with those, apparent, peasants, but at least I'd be miserable with you. Perhaps I should ask what you've been up to and what you're doing here."

"I'm sure you'll find out shortly what I'm doing here. I can explain after the war, but it really has to stay a secret. As for everything else, well I've made some new discoveries within myself in my time spent with the Avatar, and he's learning to Firebend… Mai, did you come here by yourself?"

"No, Azula and Ty Lee are here too."

"That's going to be a problem, no doubt that my treacherous father is after my head and he sent Azula to collect."

" _Treacherous_ , look who's talking."

Zuko explained to Mai what Ozai did to claim the throne, and made it clear to her that Ozai was claiming a throne that rightfully belonged to either him or his Uncle Iroh, and killed his own father in order to obtain power.

"So, the real traitor to the Fire Nation is Fire Lord Ozai, and Azula had played a part in this? Zuko, whatever you have planned, I won't interfere, but I don't think that I should get involved.

Ω £ Ω

Cit Sang met up with Sokka in the yard and told him that he owed him one for not ratting him out, and that he knew that they were hatching another escape plan.

"Actually, we're trying to escape right now, but we need a distraction. Do you think that you can start a riot?" Sokka told him.

"You mean a prison riot? Sure, not a problem." Chit Sang replied, he snatched up a fellow inmate, raised him above his head and called out: "Hey, riot!"

The yard immediately exploded into chaos! Inmates were Firebending, and nonbenders were throwing punches!

The warden was still processing what was going on when Suki ran off to collect the warden as a hostage, and Zuko had managed to escape the room, leaving Mai behind and caught up with Sokka, Hakoda, and Chit Sang.

With the warden in their hold, they made their way to the gondola, the guards saw that they had the warden and put up no resistance as they commandeered the gondola and set off, Zuko broke the lever so the guards couldn't stop their gondola, and jumped, reaching for Sokka's hand, and Sokka pulled him in.

Sokka turned to Chit Sang and his father, telling them: "Make sure that the warden doesn't get out of those bindings."

"I've got it." Chit Sang told them, and he punched the warden in the head and put him in a daze.

"Wait, who's that?" Hakoda asked, looking back to the prison. Zuko looked for himself and replied: "That's a problem, it's my sister and her friend."

Azula took a guard's handcuffs and locked one manacle onto the wire and propelled herself along the line, while Ty Lee jumped onto the line and ran on it as if it were a bridge. The circus freak had an insane sense of balance. They were gaining on them fast, especially now that the guards had managed to stop the gondola.

"This is a rematch I've been waiting for!" Suki declared.

"Me too." Zuko replied. Sokka readied his sword and went up with Zuko and Suki to provide them with some backup. They all gathered on top of the gondola and started fighting. Suki focused on Ty Lee while Zuko faced his sister. She still bore the scar from Katara's attack across her cheek.

Zuko faced Azula without going into the Dragon State, but he did imply his new Firebending knowledge to dissipate Azula's flames, and to return fire, but Azula dodged his blows, all the while Suki was doing a good job to keep Ty Lee from chi-blocking her, blocking her hands with her own.

Since Zuko was ahaving a hard time landing a hit on Azula, he did all he could just to keep her on the defensive. So, while Zuko didn't want to ply his secret talent, he flashed his Dragon State eyes to her, just for a second, but it was enough to tell Azula that there was something dangerous and powerful within Zuko. How could that be? She was always a better Firebender than her brother!

Sokka saw the momentary fear in her eyes and swung his sword at her, forcing her to back off a bit.

Inside the gondola, the warden had shaken his daze and managed to break free from his binds. He managed to bellow out for the guards to cut the line before Hakoda and Chit Sang subdued him again.

"They're about to cut the line!" Ty Lee called out to Azula, as she saw the guards working with a large saw, but the cable was steel and it was going to take some time before it severed, however, with them briefly distracted, Suki turned and snuck a punch into Azula's face! She stumbled back a bit, but both she and Ty Lee made their retreat on an incoming gondola.

While the guards were busy cutting the line, throwing knives flew in and nailed them to the wall.

"What are you doing?" A guard asked.

"Saving the jerk who left me." Mai replied, and she kept subduing the guards.

"What is she doing down there?" Azula asked, rubbing her cheek.

When they reached the ground Azula told her: "I never expected this from you, but the real question is why did you do it? You know the consequences,"

"I guess you don't know me as well as you think you do. I've always loved Zuko more than I feared you… And now, I no longer fear you."

"You should've feared me more you fool!" Azula exclaimed. Mai assumed a fighting stance and Azula was about to go in hot, but then, two punches later, Ty Lee blocked her chi and stood with Mai. The guards surrounded them and after helping Azula back to her feet, she ordered the guards to lock them away and leave them to rot!

So they were dragged away.

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"My sister must've gotten here somehow." Zuko told them, once they reached the outside of the volcano. He looked and saw a zeppelin, and so they abandoned the Warden and they commandeered it and made their clean escape.

"Uh, Zuko, what's going to happen to those girls? Mai and Ty Lee?" Sokka asked.

"For betraying my sister, they're going to be locked up, no doubt, but the warden is Mai's uncle, I'm sure that if he's willing to hear her out, he'll make sure that she and Ty Lee would be treated well. After all I've revealed a couple of secrets to Mai, and Ty Lee acted only to protect Mai from getting hurt. After the war, they'll be released, that I'll promise them." Zuko replied.

From there, they drifted on back to the Western Air Temple.

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 **Whew, longest chapter for this story yet! If anything, I hope that you felt like you were watching an episode of the show during this chapter.**

 **Please review!**


	21. Chapter 21: Of Cats and Rats

**XXI: Of Cats and Rats**

After a happy reunion between father and daughter, the team just settled down around a campfire and they managed to find enough food to fix up a fish stew. Sokka and Zuko explained why they were dining with an escaped convict, Chit Sang, and no one really bothered to ask why he was in prison to begin with.

"So, what's everyone's plan for after the war?" Teo asked.

"How about you first?" Katara replied.

"Well, I hope to get back with my dad and continue on with his tinkering. The Fire Nation colonies show some promise for a trade like that." Teo replied.

"Yeah, I hear that the oldest colonies are among the richest cities in the world." Zuko added.

"I just hope to go back home with my father. My mother must be living in constant worry right now, fearing that we might not come back home. My father's a respected man, so we should easily be able to go home and improve our city. I may even start looking for a girlfriend." Haru spoke.

"I don't know where I'm going to go… maybe one of these days I'll find Jet and the rest of the Freedom Fighters." The Duke said. Team Avatar exchanged glances, and with a deep sigh, Zuko told him: "The Duke, Jet got into a fight with a Firebender, and he didn't make it. I'm sorry Duke, but he's gone… At least until the end, he was fighting for what he believed in."

The Duke's eyes welled up with tears until he asked: "Then, where am I to go?"

"Hey, if you have no one to take you in, then perhaps my family will." Haru told him.

"Really?" The Duke asked.

"Perhaps, we're not going to just abandon you until we know that you're going to be in a good place." Haru replied.

"Toph, what do you think you'll do after the war?" Teo asked.

"Hmm, well, if Aang doesn't need me as his Earthbending teacher anymore, then I think I might start up my own Metalbending academy. Perhaps I should reconcile with my parents too, but so long as they can accept me for who I am."

"I'll have to return to the South Pole. I hear that the Northern Water Tribe's been helping to restore our home, or something like that. I should be there overseeing how things are going." Hakoda stated.

"I just want a clean slate." Chit Sang replied.

"As for me, I'm just going to have to find out where I'll be needed next." Aang stated.

"We'll be right by your side the whole way, Aang." Katara told him.

"I'm sure to need some support when we discuss the Fire Nation Colonies with the Earth Kingdom." Zuko stated.

Ω £ Ω

Azula was on her knees before her father's throne, Fire Lord Ozai glared down upon her.

"First, I receive word that your traitorous brother had gotten himself locked up in the Boiling Rock; second, I send you and your friends off to fetch him for me; third, you not only let Zuko escape, but you've also lost your zeppelin to him, and your team ended up in the prison themselves! Finally, you come back here empty-handed! This is my greatest disappointment in you, Azula, but since you were the one who took Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation, I am willing to hear you out."

"I failed because Mai was blinded by her love for Zuko and betrayed me to help him escape! She prevented the prison guards from cutting the line so his gondola would fall. Not only that, but his cohorts put up a fight themselves. I couldn't capture them in time. Before I had to leave the gondola, because the guards were trying to cut the line, Zuko and I locked eyes for just a second, but there's now something about Zuko that I believe could be a threat… During that second, I saw his eyes glowing, just like the Avatar's in the Avatar State, only his glowed gold!"

"Azula, really? Zuko, an Avatar? This is not the time for jokes!"

"Father, I assure you that I'm telling you the truth! I know what I saw was impossible, especially since we're talking about Zuko, but there's definitely something different about him. Something that makes him both powerful and dangerous."

"Azula, if what you say is true, you must find Zuko and you must get him out of our way, kill him, capture him, get him on the run, just so that he doesn't interfere!" Ozai snarled. He sent her off and left to check on the preparations for Sozin's comet.

As Azula passed through a hallway, she heard a voice: "Azula, I beg you, don't do this. This isn't the right path for you."

Azula turned to face a mirror, looking back at her, behind her reflection, she saw her mother for a brief moment before the figure vanished away.

Ω £ Ω

The cliffs shook as Fire Nation visitors fired upon the Western Air Temple!

"What are you doing here, Azula?" Zuko called out.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!" She declared. She and Zuko engaged in a fight, and as they turned the tables on each other, it gave time for the group to run off. Team Avatar stayed together, but Hakoda, Chit Sang, Teo, The Duke, and Haru had split off together, at least Katara and Sokka had a moment to say goodbye.

Team Avatar mounted up on Appa, and Toph formed a helmet around the bison's head and they took flight, they passed the Firebenders and after an explosion, they found Zuko falling and caught him. They looked back to see that Azula had, apparently, no way to catch herself.

"She's not going to make it." Zuko spoke, but Azula rocketed herself over to the cliff and caught herself safely.

"Of course." Zuko muttered and they flew off towards a safe haven.

Ω £ Ω

"Ah, camping, it really feels like old times." Aang stated.

"If you really want it to feel like old times, I could chase you around and try to capture you." Zuko stated. The circle around the campfire had a round of laughter, but Katara was abnormally quiet. Sokka looked over to her and saw that she was clutching at her necklace.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked her.

"It's just that it's the anniversary of the attack." She replied.

"Oh, when mom…" Sokka started, and Katara nodded in confirmation.

"Not the best time for villain jokes, is it?" Zuko questioned.

"It's been six years now since that attack." Katara spoke.

Zuko sat back and thought for a moment and then told her: "If you'd care to share anything about the ships or uniforms of the men that raided your village, I might be able to find the man who took her away from you."

Katara and Sokka looked up.

"Wait, wait a minute, if you know how to find the man who killed their mother, what would you do then? If you go down this path would it be in the pursuit of revenge?" Aang asked.

"Aang, this is something that Katara needs: closure, maybe even justice. It will help her to move on with her life." Zuko stated. He looked to Sokka and Katara and awaited their answers, and Sokka spoke: "The lead ship had sea ravens on their flags, that's what I remember most. I didn't have much time to get a good look at them. They left as quickly as they as they arrived."

"Sea ravens, that's the sign of the Southern Raiders."

"Would you know how to find them?" Katara asked. Zuko nodded, and Katara added: "Then I'm ready to go off and find them as soon as you are. Aang, do you have any objections of confronting the man who killed my mother?"

Aang sighed and told them: "If this is something you need, Katara, then you may take Appa. Just promise me that you won't resort to extreme measures unless you absolutely have to, and don't pursue revenge, it isn't the answer."

"Then what is the right answer?" Zuko asked.

"Forgiveness," Aang replied.

"Aang, this is something that would be nearly impossible to forgive." Zuko spoke.

"Do whatever you need, Katara, but please don't corrupt yourself with vengeance!" Aang pleaded.

"I promise." Katara replied. She and Zuko got their supplies together and took off.

Ω £ Ω

After infiltrating a communications tower, they found the position of the Southern Raiders and sought out the ship. They arrived and just took the crew and pushed them out of the way as they made their way to the captain's position.

Katara broke down the door with her Waterbending and once Zuko had the captain distracted, Katara drew power from the moon, and bent the captain's blood!

"What's happening to me?" The captain asked as his body contorted as Katara bent him to get down to his knees. She was so angry that she didn't realize that he wasn't the man that they were looking for until she looked into his eyes, but he did prove to have some use, for he gave up the name and location of Yon Rha, their retired captain. Katara freed the captain from her grip and they stormed off the ship.

"Katara, what was that back there?" Zuko asked as they flew off into the night.

"Bloodbending." Katara said flatly.

"Sokka mentioned that to me in his letters. I didn't think that you'd use it after what happened when you learned that… At the same time, it looks like it's really useful in a dire situation."

"At the same time, it hurts people." Katara replied.'

"You know, your mother sounds like she was a brave woman, and it's obvious that you'll do anything to avenge her."

"We'll see about vengeance, but I want to keep my promise to Aang." Katara replied.

Ω £ Ω

Indeed they found Yon Rha as he was walking home from the market to bring some food back to his mother, an awful lady who treated him more like a horse-ostrich than a person, not that he deserved to be treated any better, for Katara confirmed that he was the man that killed her mother.

In the rain, they stalked him down the road until Yon Ra, sensed that he was being followed and threw a fireball at a bush, only to turn and trip over a wire allowing Zuko and Katara to jump him a moment later. Zuko held Yon Rha down and warned him against Firebending again.

"Take my money! Take whatever you want! I'll cooperate!" Yon Rha pleaded, believing the masked teens to be robbers. Katara stepped into his view and showed him her face.

"Do you know who I am?" Katara asked him with a glare.

"No." Yon Rha replied quietly. However with one threat, Katara made him take a closer look, and he recognized her as 'the little Water Tribe girl': "Now I remember, your mother was your tribe's last Waterbender." Then a shock of realization sparked in his eyes and he gulped.

"She lied to you, she was protecting the last Waterbender."

"What? Who?"

"ME!" Katara roared and she bent the rain surrounding them, forming a bubble, and then she brought it down in shards of ice, like spears, but they never pierced Yon Rha. Instead she let them collapse into water again, drenching her target.

Yon Rha was on his knees, pleading with Katara to spare him, and even resorted to offering up _his_ mother for her to kill to make things even. However Katara just up and told him that he was an empty, pathetic, and sad waste, not even worth her time to even give him a scar to remind him of the crime he committed. So they left.

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Katara returned to Aang and told him that she didn't exact revenge on him, but she did confront him, but didn't forgive him. Rather, she got closure and saw that he was leading a miserable life.

"Well, Katara, I'm proud of you for not choosing vengeance. Perhaps just confrontation is enough. So did you get anything else out of your journey?" Aang replied.

"I can forgive Zuko, completely for his actions in the earlier parts of our journey, and for other matters that happened in Ba Sing Se… We did miss you while you were back in the Fire Nation." Katara spoke. She hugged him for a moment, and they sat down at a campfire.

"So, where do you think we should go next?" Sokka asked.

"I know of a place where no one would think to find us." Zuko stated as he sat down next to Sokka.

"Alright, where will that be?" Sokka asked.

"My family's summer home on Ember Island. No one's really been there since my family was actually a happy one. There'll be bedrooms for all and Ember Island has a great marketplace. Also no one in their right mind would think that we'd go to a house owned by the Fire Lord!" Zuko told them.

"Hey, I'm in." Suki chimed in.

"Alright, Zuko, it looks like we've got a destination in mind then!" Sokka stated, and so they settled in for the night and when the dawn rose, they headed for Ember Island!

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 **I'm so sorry that I didn't include the scene where Zuko walks in Sokka's tent when he was expecting Suki! Well hopefully you enjoyed that!**

 **AUTHOR'S QUESTION: What are your opinions about Azula?**

 **Please review.**


	22. Chapter 22: Island Retreat

**XXII: Island Retreat**

Zuko directed Appa on where to fly until Ember Island came into view and he landed the bison right in front of the house. It was on a quieter part of the island where they would be out of sight there was a large outdoor patio where they could train, and as promised, there were rooms for everyone.

The house, having not been in much use over the past several years, had accumulated quite a bit of dust, and the air was musty. Team Avatar was quick to open up all the windows in the house and Aang went around dusting their bedrooms with his Airbending.

Now that they were back in the Fire Nation the team had gotten dressed back up in their Fire Nation disguises, Zuko saw them for the first time and told them: "Wow, red really works on you guys… Uh, but Suki, where did you find that outfit?"

"Oh, I quickly fashioned this out of this red sheet and whatever I could find around the house… At least it's better than that prison uniform."

"We've got enough money to go to the market for you to get something better." Sokka told her.

While the house was busy breathing for a while, Team Avatar went outside while Zuko and Aang practiced their Firebending techniques.

"Do you think that we could duel sometime?" Aang asked in between forms.

"I don't know, do you think that you can handle an opponent with the Firebending power of a fully-realized Avatar in the Avatar State?" Zuko asked him.

"Fair point… I've been having trouble getting into the Avatar State since that lightning attack… Have you been keeping the Dragon State under control?"

"I know I can trigger it at will now, you helped me out with that, and I haven't been emotional enough to trigger it." Zuko replied. He then demonstrated another Firebending form for Aang to practice, the forms were getting more and more advanced, but Zuko would still have Aang return to the basics in between forms, and he also reminded Aang how to redirect lightning.

"I'd like to put this technique to the test." Aang stated as he made the path through the sea of Chi and up his opposite hand.

"Trust me, it works, I spoke with my father on the Day of Black Sun, telling him that I was going to betray him; I was armed with my swords, and he was powerless, so I made him listen. When I turned my back, the sun came out and he tried to strike me with lightning, but I threw the bolts back at him and made my escape. Now you don't need me to fill you up with sparks to test it. Just keep in mind that it will be a lot of power that you'll have to handle."

After another hour of training, Zuko dismissed Aang and then called out: "Sokka do you want to practice sword fighting once I've rested up?"

No response.

"Sokka?!" Zuko called again.

"He and Suki went to take a tour of the island, and to head over to the market I assumed." Katara replied.

"Guess we'll have to get to the sword fighting later then." Zuko replied. He turned back to Aang, busy drinking a beverage out of a coconut, and told him: "If you want to get back to your Firebending anytime soon, you'll know where to find me."

"Zuko, you and Aang have been training rather hard lately. Why don't you come over here and have one of these drinks?" Katara offered. Zuko took one and sat down among his friends, when Aang turned to him and asked: "Hey, Zuko, do you think that it's possible for me to face your father after Sozin's Comet?"

Zuko looked at him with his eyes widened in shock, and asked him: "Why would you ask that? No, it's not possible; Fire Lord Ozai and Azula concocted a terrible plan for the Earth Kingdom for the comet's arrival. Fire Lord Ozai plans on harnessing it's power to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground to destroy their hope… I heard this plan while I was in the war room. I almost spoke up, but I didn't want to relive the day I got my scar. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you guys this plan earlier, but if I knew that you were thinking of waiting until after the comet came to face the Fire Lord, I would've told you that the moment we met up again on the Day of Black Sun."

"Burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground… I knew that your father was a bad guy, but that's just monstrous!" Toph exclaimed.

"Wait, Zuko, why are you referring to your father as _'Fire Lord Ozai'_?" Katara asked.

"It's because I see my Uncle Iroh as my father now. Ozai is an insane, power-hungry beast; Iroh, is the only man who'd ever supported and cared for me. In fact, after hearing Ozai's plan for the comet's arrival, I'm almost ashamed of being his son." Zuko replied.

A moment later, Sokka and Suki returned, Suki was now dressed in a proper Fire Nation outfit.

"Oh, is bending practice over?" Sokka asked.

"At least for the time being. Would you be up for a sword-fighting match in a while?" Zuko replied.

"Actually, I've got a better idea. You see, while we were at the market we found out that these Ember Island Players made a play about us!" Sokka announced and he showed the group a poster for the production: ' _The Boy in the Iceberg_ '.

"Ugh, the Ember Island Players, my mother would take us to see them as they butchered _'Love Amongst the Dragons'_."

"Still, I think that we should go see it!" Sokka told them.

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Later that night, they were walking out of the theatre. It turned out that play was an extremely biased approach of how the writer interpreted their adventures. Aang was mortified that a woman was portraying him, but Toph was actually proud that she was being portrayed by a big, strong, man!

The actor who played Zuko actually did rather well, especially at the beginning, where he was acting with an overuse of angst and a lot of attitude towards his uncle. Sokka's actor was also fairly faithful but his jokes were pathetic, to the point where Sokka actually snuck backstage to give him a few pointers, to which the actor actually took! Katara's actress was overly emotional for some reason, and she didn't take too kindly at that.

As far as their details of their adventures were concerned, they at least got the general idea about them. Sokka and Katara found Aang in the iceberg at the South Pole, Aang found Momo, he got captured by Admiral Zhao, freed by the Blue Spirit, met Jet, they flew over the Great Divide, and made it to the North Pole. At the North Pole Aang drove away the Fire Nation fleet practically by himself with the combined power of the Spirit of the Ocean. Sokka got rather emotional where Princess Uwe became the Moon Spirit.

It seemed that whoever wrote the play caught up that Zuko had betrayed the Fire Nation fairly early on. During the scene where Zuko killed Jet, they did pull off his mask to show whom the Blue Spirit really was, and the actual killing was surprisingly graphic, and the real Zuko looked away throughout the whole scene.

Overall the events were portrayed fairly well, but Team Avatar hated the acting, and the fact that the play predicted that Azula would defeat Zuko and Ozai would defeat Aang.

So Team Avatar left the play thinking that it wasn't very good… Terrible in fact.

"But the effects were decent." Sokka put in.

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The next day, they decided to do a training exercise where Sokka set up a dummy with a melon head for Aang to fight. Toph was playing the role of Melon Lord while the others went in for the attack. Toph had a lot of fun chucking flaming rocks at the others, but when Aang's moment came, he just couldn't take out the Melon Lord representing Ozai.

"What are you doing? Take him out!" Sokka called out.

"I'm sorry, I just can't." Aang told them. Sokka approached the melon dummy, took his sword, and split the melon. Aang cringed as he saw Momo leap in and start licking its juices.

They stepped aside and it was time to talk again.

"Aang, why didn't you take out the Melon Lord?" Sokka asked.

"I just didn't feel like myself. I know I have the power to take someone's life, but that doesn't mean that I can just go around eliminating people I don't like."

"Aang, we're in a war, one that's been going on for 100 years. This isn't about eliminating people you don't like, it's about finally bringing peace and ending the misery that Fire Lord Ozai's caused." Katara told him.

"It is your destiny to defeat him after all." Toph added.

" _Defeating_ Ozai doesn't mean that I absolutely have to kill him!" Aang snapped.

"Then how would you defeat him?" Suki asked.

"If only there was some way that I could take away his bending… or trap him where he won't be able to bend." Aang replied.

"So, after all the damage he's done, you want to let him live; dare I ask why?" Suki questioned.

"Listen, I'll agree with anyone who says that Ozai is a terrible person, and that the world may be better off without him. However, he did one good thing, he gave us Zuko. So if any of you have an idea of how I can defeat him without taking his life, I'll gladly hear it." Aang told them before storming inside the house.

Sokka turned to Zuko and spoke: "You've been awfully quiet."

"We're definitely pushing for the easy way to end this war, but Aang is a gentle and kind kid. After what I've been through with Jet, I don't want him to experience the same things that I did." He replied.

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Aang walked into Zuko's room that night as he was meditating.

"Zuko?" Aang spoke. He glanced over his shoulder and invited Aang to come inside.

"Is there something on your mind?" Zuko asked.

"I just wanted to know how you'd fight your father if you were to face him in our next battle."

"Aang, I know you're stressing out about this, but if I had to fight him again, I'd probably have to kill him. I don't have the power to render him powerless, even though I'm probably one of the strongest Firebenders in the world now."

"So you'd take his life, even after what happened to Jet?" Aang questioned.

"Aang, just as Katara said, we are in a war, and people do get hurt in wars. What you're going into may be a kill or be killed situation… However, you're a bright kid, I'm sure that you may figure out a way to end this war more peacefully, but if you have to take Ozai's life, then I will forgive you. If you manage to capture him to end the war, then I promise that the Fire Nation court will pass judgment on him, and I won't allow the court sentence him to execution."

Aang sat back, his eyes distant and sad.

"Hey, how about we talk about something to cheer ourselves up?" Zuko asked.

"Alright… Do you plan on telling your uncle about the Dragon State?"

"He has the right to know, and I think that Uncle Iroh would be proud to know that his nephew has fully realized the element of fire and holds a child of Raava, and he's quite fascinated by the spirits." Zuko replied.

"Do you think that Azula holds a child of Raava?" Aang asked.

"It's possible, but I have my doubts that she'd be able to trigger the Dragon State, reasons being these: First, you have to be a bender that's part of an Avatar's lineage (which she is); second, you have to have the child of Raava within you, and it is possible that she didn't get that gene; third, you have to fully realize your element, and Azula only knows the Firebending that's triggered by anger and a lust for power, it is not true Firebending like we've learned from the dragons, the style she's learned is a corrupted version; and fourth, you have to open all of your chakras, and I don't know if Azula even knows what those are. After you go through all of that, only then could a Firebender enter the Dragon State and master it." Zuko replied.

"It really is an interesting thing… Thanks for talking with me, Zuko, and I think that's its time for me to get to sleep." Aang told him. So Aang went back to his room.

However, late into the night, Aang awoke as if something was calling to him. He walked drowsily outside the house, over to the beach, and into the water, swimming towards an island that wasn't there before.

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 **Well, we're almost to Sozin's comet, and let me tell you, I've been getting mental visions of Zuko's battle with Azula for quite a while now! It's going to be epic!**

 **Now here's my question for you guys: How can I make Aang's battle with Ozai more interesting?**

 **Please review.**


	23. Chapter 23: Dreaming Phoenix Lotus

**XXIII: Dreaming Phoenix Lotus**

 **Read closely, my friends.**

 _Zuko walked on a volcanic island when he met up with a beautiful, white, kite-shaped spirit with blue markings that looked like an owl, and standing next to the spirit was a dragon that looked as if it was made out of pure gold with scales that emitted the golden light that shone in Zuko's eyes when he was in the Dragon State._

 _"_ _Who are you?" Zuko asked._

 _"_ _I am Raava, the Light Spirit."_

 _"_ _I am her son, Lux."_

 _"_ _Lux, I remember you, you where there when I opened my thought chakra!" Zuko declared._

 _"_ _Yes, that was the moment that I've finally awakened."_

 _"_ _Forgive me, but why are we here? Is this a dream, or are we actually meeting?" Zuko asked._

 _"_ _We are speaking to you, Prince Zuko, but you are dreaming. I came to tell you that something had called to me, something that has not been seen in a long time. When you wake up you will not be able to find the Avatar, but you must not be afraid, for we are safe. Instead, you must find the White Lotus, and you will receive a key to your destiny." Raava told him, and then she began to fade from sight._

 _'_ _Wait, Raava! I have more questions! Who else holds one of your children?" Zuko called out, but she was gone before she could answer, and so Zuko turned to Lux and the dragon of light spoke: "You do not have to fear your sister, Azula, but we should be concerned for my sister, Kaimana."_

 _"_ _Who's Kaimana?" Zuko asked._

 _"_ _She sleeps, but look behind you." Lux told him. Zuko turned and saw nothing more than the ocean and a horizon. When Zuko turned back to Lux, he found that the dragon had vanished._

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 _Azula sat on her throne, surrounded by her blue flames. A black dragon sat behind her. The room was empty, save for a figure that came in through the doors in front of her._

 _"_ _What are you doing, disturbing the Fire Lord?" Azula asked. The figure stepped into the light, and she saw that it was her mother._

 _"_ _So, you're back… WHY?" Azula demanded. The dragon behind her snarled._

 _"_ _I didn't want to miss out on my child inheriting the throne."_

 _"_ _Hmm, and you've come to congratulate me, mother?" Azula questioned._

 _"_ _I was hoping to see a you surrounded with loyal, happy, subjects. You're sick and alone Azula, and you've closed yourself off from your friends."_

 _"_ _What choice did I have!? Mai and Ty Lee were traitors!"_

 _"_ _Azula, my child, you're hurt, and your pain is making you ill. The further down this path you go, the sicker you'll get. Azula, this isn't your destiny, please some with me."_

 _Azula got up from her throne and stepped towards her mother, she locked eyes with her, and she spoke: "I'LL decide what my destiny is! The throne is mine! Father's stepped up to be something greater, Zuko is a wanted traitor, and Uncle Iroh's being held in prison for his treachery! I must be the Fire Lord, and I'll not have YOU stand in my way! You think me a monster, you always have, now get out of my sight!"_

 _The black dragon moved from its spot behind the throne and curled its body around the two women, and looked down at them with a low growl rumbling in the back of it's throat._

 _"_ _Azula, one day your quest for power and control will consume you! Please, I love you, so turn away from this path!" Her mother pleaded._

 _"_ _YOU fear MY power! One day, perhaps it will consume YOU!" Azula shouted._

 _Finally, the black dragon screeched, and both mother and daughter looked up and saw it's eyes_ glowing gold _before they locked on Azula and it struck at her with its open jaws!_

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 _Katara was back in her village, and as she entered her family's hut, she was welcomed with the joyous sight of her mother cooking chicken-fish stew! She didn't wait to meet her mother's eyes, she just lunged for her and clung to her in a mad embrace!_

 _"_ _Mom, I've missed you!"_

 _"_ _I've missed you too, my proud Waterbender."_

 _"_ _Y-You were gone…you_ are _gone! Oh mother, I'm so sorry! I've met the man who took you from us, but I just couldn't avenge you."_

 _"_ _Katara, my dear child. I am so proud of you. I've had a hard time resting, for fear that you might go on a quest for revenge, but now I am finally at peace, I really am! You've grown so strong, Katara, you're sure to become one of the most remarkable Waterbenders of your generation, I'm sure of it."_

 _"_ _I've learned so much about my heritage, and Waterbending, not all of it was good though."_

 _"_ _Katara, without the bad things in life, how can we appreciate the good? You must appreciate both your heritage and Waterbending in their entirety. Believe me, you are strong, but holding on to me and denying your full knowledge of Waterbending is keeping you from realizing your full potential."_

 _"_ _What are you saying, mother?"_

 _"_ _Katara, take these beads, and you will learn."_

 _Katara held a necklace of carved beads there were fourteen large beads in a pattern, one letter, and then one symbol: K * A * I * M * A * N * A *. The symbols reminded Katara of Aang's teaching of the opening of chakra's, she had a hard time letting her mother go, and she was terrified of some of the images she saw when she opened up her thought chakra. She looked back to her mother, and she pointed at a small pool of water in the hut, it was in a beautiful circle, and her mother spoke: "I filled it with the water of the ocean. Isn't it beautiful?"_

 _"_ _Yes it is… I need to get going, but can we have some of that stew first? I'll tell you all about my adventures with the Avatar!" Katara told her._

 _"_ _Of course, my dear, and I would love to hear your stories."_

 _So, as they ate, they spent the day together as Katara told her stories._

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"Aang, AANG!"

Zuko woke up to hear Katara crying out the Avatar's name, he found her and she asked him: "Have you seen Aang anywhere?"

"No, but I do know that he's no longer on this island."

"How do you know?" Katara asked, by this point, Sokka, Toph, and Suki had gathered around.

"I had a dream last night, and through that dream I managed to meet two spirits: Raava and Lux…" Zuko spoke.

"Wait, isn't Raava the spirit within Aang?" Toph asked.

"Yes, and…"

"So who's this 'Lux'?" Sokka asked.

"I was about to answer when you interrupted me!" Zuko snapped, he took a deep breath and continued: "Lux is my Dragon State spirit, the son of Raava."

"Okay, and did they tell you anything else?" Sokka asked.

"Yes, first off, they told me that I didn't have to fear Azula, it appears that she doesn't have a child of Raava; Raava also told me that something called to her, something that hasn't been seen in a long time, and so when I woke up, I'd be unable to find the Avatar, and so we should find the White Lotus to get a key to our destiny… that last bit was a bit of a riddle for me. However, at the end of my dream, Lux told me that I had to worry about one thing, he told me of a spirit named 'Kaimana', told me to look behind my back, but all I saw was a sky and ocean."

Katara's eyes lit up and she was about to speak, but then Sokka asked them: "What do we know about white lotuses? Are there any that grow on the island? Are there any magic flowers?"

"Sokka, I don't believe that the lotus is an actual lotus. Are you familiar with the game, Pai Sho? There's a tile of the white lotus, and I've heard rumors of it being a part of a code or something of that sort." Suki stated.

"Well, I'm not too familiar with the game myself, but from what I've heard, Zuko's uncle is an avid player." Toph spoke.

"Zuko, do you know where your uncle is?" Sokka asked.

"No, I'm not sure… but I think I know a way to find him. Is Appa still here?" He replied.

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Aang woke up and found that he was on an uninhabited island covered with a lush forest, the only one there was Momo, and the lemur perched on his shoulder as he wandered the island.

He happened upon a hexagon as he made it to the peak, he tried to bend it, but it wasn't made of earth, he bent the air and figured that he wasn't in the Spirit World, and so he decided to meditate to see if any of his past lives could help him figure out where he was and what he should do when he faces the Fire Lord.

Well, Avatar Roku had no idea where he was, and his advice was that he had to be decisive when Aang faced Ozai. He stated that if had to do things over again, he would've killed Sozin, his former friend. Avatar Kiyoshi proved to be of little help too. She told Aang that she saw no difference between murdering a man, and a man being too stubborn to back away when a cliff was crumbling, and he ended up falling to his doom.

After talking to more Avatars, Aang lowered his head, believing that he really didn't have a choice to do anything other than killing Ozai.

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Ozai rode his palanquin to a grand set of stairs, and stepped out onto a stage, as Azula urged her palanquin bearers to move faster.

"I'm sorry I'm late, father, good palanquin bearers are so hard to come by. So, is everything ready for our departure?" Azula asked.

"There has been a change of plans, Azula."

"What?" She asked, snapping her head to face her father, her eyes wide with shock as her father continued to explain: "I've decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se alone. You will remain here in the Fire Nation."

"But I thought we were going to do this together."

"My decision is final." Ozai replied.

"You... you can't treat me like this. You can't treat me like Zuko!" Azula whined like a spoilt child.

"Azula, silence yourself." Ozai ordered, frowning slightly.

"But it was my idea to burn everything to the ground! I deserve to be by your side!"

"Azula!" Ozai snapped, she still wanted to fight, but this time she lowered her head obediently as her father continued: "Listen to me. I need you here to watch over the homeland, it's a very important job that I can only entrust to you."

"Really?" Azula asked, looking up in disbelief.

"And for your loyalty, I've decided to declare you the new Fire Lord."

"Fire Lord Azula? It does seem appropriate. But, what about you?" Azula asked, her mind racing in delight of the prospect of being the Fire Lord.

"Fire Lord Ozai is no more. Just as the world will be reborn in fire, I shall be reborn as the supreme ruler of the World. From this moment on, I will be known as... Phoenix King!" Ozai declared as her servants placed shoulder guards and a ceremonial helmet on him.

A large, maroon phoenix motif banner rose up from behind him. The Fire Nation guard held up pennants of an identical motif, and let their fire burn through two columns and shoot out through spouts to resemble phoenix wings.

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Zuko led them to meet up with the bounty hunter named June, met earlier in their travels. She used her pet shirshu, Nyla, and presented himself to her along with a pouch of gold.

"Alright, I can help you, do you have anything with your uncle's scent on it?" June asked after she counted the gold. Zuko pulled out one of Iroh's old sandals. It stunk, but thanks to Nyla, she caught a scent and began to follow its trail, and the team followed them on Appa.

They've spent over a full day in pursuit of Iroh's scent until the shirshu led them to the face of a cliff not too far away from Ba Sing Se, Iroh was apparently somewhere at the top. So at the base of the cliff they decided to set up camp for the night and approach Iroh in the daytime.

At a late hour, their camp was ambushed! Toph sensed their vibrations before the intruders' initial attack, but was unable to do anything before the intruders' surrounded them with a ring of fire. Everyone woke up and were taken aback to see some friendly faces! There was Master Piandao, Sokka and Zuko's swordmaster; there was Jeong Jeong, Aang's first Firebending teacher, and King Bumi.

"Well look who's here!" King Bumi declared and then he chortled and snorted.

Jeong Jeong dissipated the flames as the old masters went down to greet them.

"What's going on? We're surrounded by old people!" Toph declared.

"They're not just any old people. They're great masters and friends of ours; Master Pakku!" Katara replied and she bowed to her Waterbending instructor.

"It is respectful to bow to an old master, but how about a hug for your new grandfather?"

Sokka and Katara's eyes lit up in realization that Master Pakku and their Gran-gran had reconciled, Pakku even told them that he carved their grandmother a new betrothal necklace and everything.

"Welcome to the family Gramp-gramp!"

"You can still call me Pakku." He told Sokka.

"How about: _Grand-Pakku_?" Sokka suggested.

"No."

Katara proceeded to introduce Jeong Jeong, to whom Zuko bowed to, and Sokka bowed to Master Piandao.

"So how do you all know each other?" Suki asked.

"All old people know each other, don't you know that?" Bumi replied with a chuckle. Then Master Piandao explained to them that they were all a part of a secret society, older than the four nations… The White Lotus.

"The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, and beauty and truth. About a month ago, a call went out that we were needed for something important." Jeong Jeong added.

"It came from a Grand Lotus, your Uncle, Iroh of the Fire Nation." Paku stated, pointing to a proud Zuko.

"That's who we're here for!" Toph declared.

"Then, we'll take you to him." Master Piandao told them.

"Wait, there's someone missing from your group! Where's Momo?" Bumi asked as he got in Sokka's face.

"We don't know where he is, or Aang for that matter." Sokka replied.

"Well so long as they have each other, I'm sure that we will have nothing to worry about." Bumi replied, and the White Lotus escorted them to their camp. Bumi launched himself back to the camp by shooting himself over the cliff by Earthbending a column.

On the journey to the camp, Sokka asked King Bumi how he managed to escape his imprisonment back in Omashu.

"Escape? I didn't escape; everyone _else_ escaped! There I was waiting for the right moment to strike! I didn't know how or when, but I knew that I would know it when I knew it! Then, I saw the eclipse! That did the trick, as I knew it would take away the Firebenders' power! Using my face, I brought up rocks to bust my way out of that metal box and I took back my kingdom all by myself! I pulled buildings off the sides of the mountain and slid them down, wiping out their work in an instant! No one could touch me as I stood before that funny statue of Ozai and brought it down! I shot several earthen columns up, blowing several Fire Nation soldiers off to the sides and shot the columns into the statue's face, one in each eye, two up his nose, and three in his mouth, and I pulled the statue down and it crashed through the bridge into my city! Everyone escaped just in time! I had a good laugh and celebrated with a piece of geminite candy!" Bumi declared.

"Wow, I can't believe that you took back your home kingdom all by yourself!" Suki stated.

Finally they arrived at the camp where Master Piandao pointed to where Iroh's tent was, it turned out that his appeared to be the most lavish. Zuko approached the tent, alone, because that was how he wanted it, and stepped inside, only to find that his uncle was asleep!

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 **Ooh! I'M SO EXCITED! I can't wait for you guys to read what I have planned for you! This is going to be so EPIC!**

 **(I'll try to make it so that you don't have to wait too long for updates! Also, you may want to reread the dreams!)**

 **PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews motivate me to write faster!**


	24. Chapter 24: Masters and Children

**XXIV: Masters and Children**

In the dawn, Iroh woke and stretched with a yawn, and from behind he heard a voice: "Good morning, Uncle, I'm glad that you're doing well."

Iroh turned and quickly pulled Zuko in for a hug: "I've missed you, my nephew."

"Everyone else is here, save for Aang, he's gone and disappeared on us, but somehow I feel that's the way that it's meant to be."

Iroh backed off from Zuko and looked into his eyes, he studied them closely and told Zuko: "Something seems different about you, Prince Zuko, there's a new spark in your eyes. It's not like an member of flame, but a ray of sunlight."

"I've learned a lot about Firebending since we last spoke. As you've suggested, we met the Sun Warriors and the masters judged us. Those dragons… They were amazing!" Zuko replied.

"You'll have to tell me everything, but first, Master Pakku has offered to challenge me to a game of Pei Sho! Please, would you share a moment of peace with me before Sozin's Comet?" Iroh asked. Zuko nodded and accompanied his uncle to Pakku's tent.

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"I still can't believe that you reclaimed Omashu from the Fire Nation all by yourself! You really must be the greatest Earthbender of all time!" Suki told Bumi. As she spoke, Toph happened to be walking by.

"That's right." King Bumi replied.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but to overhear your talking. Did you say that that this old is the _greatest Earthbender ever?_ " Toph asked. Bumi laughed and snorted as he replied: "I believe she said _of all time_."

Toph burst out into uproarious laughter, as Bumi glared at her with a pout, Toph told him: "Listen, pops, just because you're as old as dirt, doesn't mean that you can bend it!"

"Little girl, I've got _toenails_ that can bend better than you!" Bumi retorted showing his old toes to the blind girl.

"Oh really!" Toph challenged.

"That's right."

"There's only one way to decide who's the best Earthbender… AN EARTHBENDING RUMBLE!" Sokka declared, and so they moved to a safe spot where they could duel. Toph and Bumi faced each other in their chosen ring while Suki and Sokka sat off to the side as an audience member and the referee.

"In the East corner we have Toph: A.K.A. The Blind Bandit and The Runaway, and the self-proclaimed best Earthbender of all time! In the west corner we have King Bumi: A.K.A. The Mad Earthbending Genius and The Over-the-Hill Hitter! Now I want a nice, messy, rock-filled fight! You may start at the sound of the gong!" Sokka announced, he pulled out a small gong and struck it, but Toph and Bumi stayed put.

"Young people go first." Bumi stated.

"I wouldn't dream of disrespecting my elder." Toph replied.

"COME ON ALREADY, FIGHT!" Sokka shouted.

Finally Bumi kicked things off by raising a pile of boulders and chucking them, Toph brought up another pile and smashed her boulders into Bumi's to break them into pieces and she managed to dodge the rest. What followed was a fight that shook the whole area!

Katara was the first to hear all of the commotion and couldn't believe that her brother was allowing for these two, very powerful, Earthbenders to fight just to see who the best was!

"YEAH ROCKALACHE!" Sokka declared as they had caused a large rockslide that shook the 'Old People Camp'!

During the shake, Jeong Jeong was bucked out of his seat while he was having breakfast, Master Piandao ruined his calligraphy parchment, and Iroh and Pakku's Pei Sho table was disturbed.

"What's happening?" Pakku asked.

"It looks like I won!" Iroh declared with excitement as he looked down at the table.

"Are we under attack?" Master Piandao asked approaching Pakku's tent.

"Where are the kids?" Jeong Jeong asked. At hearing this, Zuko ran off, telling them: "I'll find them!" and then under his breath, he muttered: "I just hope that I'm not too late."

However, as he and the White Lotus made it to the scene of the ruckus, he found that it was not an attack, but an Earth Rumble between Bumi and Toph! With the combined efforts of Katara, Zuko, and the White Lotus they managed to break up the fight, and Sokka declared it to be a draw, both benders were still pretty good, but after seeing that everyone was in one spot now, h decided that he didn't get to see enough friendly fighting.

"Zuko! Hey man, I'm glad you're here with everyone else now! Did you get a chance to tell your uncle _everything_ you learned since the eclipse?" Sokka asked. Everyone paused and turned to face them.

"No, he was busy playing a game this morning with your new grandfather." Zuko replied. Sokka widened his eyes and exclaimed: " _WHAT!_ You're telling me that you haven't told _your uncle_ that you've grown to be THE _WORLD'S_ most _powerful_ FIREBENDER!"

Needlessly to say, the White Lotus gave them their full attention.

"Zuko, is there something that you want to tell me? I know that after meeting the Sun Warriors you can discover the true meaning of fire, but to become the 'world's most powerful Firebender' that is something that you have to do on your own. Have you advanced your training? Or is Sokka exaggerating?" Iroh asked.

"Why don't you find out for yourself, General Iroh? C'mon, why don't you put Zuko through the ultimate test?" Sokka asked.

"I'm not going to challenge my nephew to an Agni Kai!" Iroh exclaimed.

"Don't go about it like an Agni Kai then, think of it as a demonstration. You and Zuko exchange blows and you demonstrate as to how you go about to avoid getting hit. Besides, I'm sure that Zuko is _excited_ to show you _everything_ that he's learned." Sokka replied.

Zuko sighed and told his uncle: "He's actually right. I think that you'll find what I've learned to be quite fascinating, Uncle, but I'd have to play it out like an Agni Kai. Please Uncle?"

"For you, Zuko, of course, it should be a nice warm up before I go in to retake the city of Ba Sing Se for the Earth Kingdom!"

Bumi and Toph fixed up an arena so Zuko and Iroh could bend to their hearts' content. Iroh set his blue robe off to the side and threw the first punch, shooting a fireball! Zuko dissipated it using a stance from the Dragon's Dance form, a low stance with his arms spread out. He returned fire using a technique that Toph showed him. He put both fists forward, pulled his forearms up and created a flame, and then made a pushing motion to throw a wall of flame Iroh's way, and Iroh blocked the attack with a blast of his own fire.

Zuko made another attacking move, only this time he was bending lightning! Iroh's eyes widened in amazement! His nephew unlocked the secret to bend lightning! Iroh assumed a stance to show that he was ready to redirect it, and so Zuko released the lightning Iroh's way, and Iroh redirected it to the sky!

They exchanged a series of blows, but with Zuko demonstrating techniques borrowed from the other elements, and then he decided that it was time to amp up his power, and he began to release his multicolored flames! The flames glowed green, orange, red, violet, and so many other colors! It was like dragon fire!

"Someone come in and help my uncle!" Zuko ordered, because now he was prepared to show them the ultimate surprise! Jeong Jeong came into the ring and both he and Iroh struck at the same time, and the threat of two Firebenders helped Zuko to trigger the Dragon State! The White Lotus looked at Zuko's glowing eyes in shock and awe!

He continued to move their fire like waves of water, and added some spin to achieve more heat, he practically danced around his opponents' strikes in spirals like an Airbender, and threw hard blasts like an Earthbender throwing rocks, his flames showing one beautiful color after another! Iroh even grew bold enough to start bending lightning at Zuko, and was amazed to see him redirect it into the sky too!

They called it quits a little while later, and Zuko's eyes finally dimmed to their normal state, and he bowed respectfully to his opponents.

"Zuko, what was that?" Iroh asked, not sure how to feel, Zuko motioned for the other members of the White Lotus to come closer and explained: "Avatar Aang showed us how to open up our chakras, a technique that's supposed to allow him to master the Avatar State. When I opened up my last chakra, I woke up a gene that takes the form of a spirit. The gene was passed down to me from my great-grandfather, Avatar Roku, and the gene proved to be a child of Raava, the Light Spirit. With it, I can trigger something that I've come to call the Dragon State. Uncle, I've fully realized the element of fire."

Iroh pulled Zuko in for another hug and spoke: "Well done, Zuko! You've grown so strong! Just remember this: with great power, it is easy to let it consume you, it must be used in wisdom."

"Of course, Uncle, besides, the Dragon State leaves me a little dizzy after every time I use it." Zuko replied.

They returned to the 'Old People Camp' or at least what remained of it after the rumble. On the way there, Zuko told Iroh: "The other night ago, I had a dream where my Dragon State Spirit actually talked to me. The spirit has the form of a golden dragon, he told me that his name was Lux."

Iroh gave Zuko a strange look, Zuko expected it though, he knew that he was an oddity now that he had this trait, so Zuko continued: "I asked Lux if there was another child of Raava out there, and he told me that I didn't have to fear Azula, but his sister, Kaimana, does that name mean anything to you?"

"I've never heard of the name before, I just know that it has something to do with the ocean." Iroh replied. Zuko's head snapped to look over to Katara.

Upon their return he kids sat in a ring with Iroh and they were having lunch before they had to depart, Iroh talked about their destinies, Zuko knew that he was going to have to face his sister and requested for Katara to assist him, Sokka decided that even if they didn't know where Aang was, it was their duty to help him, Zuko had told them that despite the destruction that they've caused on the Day of Black Sun, the Fire Nation managed to produce some airships. Sokka's plan was to take over an airship and turn it against the rest of the fleet.

"Uncle, after the war, what are you going to do?" Zuko asked.

"After I re-conquer Ba Sing Se, I am going to re-conquer my tea shop, and play Pei Sho every day!" Iroh replied. They were ready to bid their farewells, but Zuko pulled Katara off to the side and told her: "If we are to face Azula, I need you to open your chakras."

"What are you talking about? I've already opened them during Aang's lesson." Katara replied.

"I don't think that you could open all of them. You had trouble letting your mother go, and I know that you carry a shame for learning Bloodbending; although it will be hard, you do need to accept all forms of your bending. Now please, go meditate, and open your chakras."

"Why are my chakras so important to you?" Katara asked.

"I may have reason to believe that you're a child of Raava too. Does the name Kaimana mean anything to you?" Zuko asked. Katara recalled her dream and her eyes lit up. How could Zuko know of the beads that her mother handed over to her? That was the exact word that was spelled out on them!

Katara sat down and Zuko guided her through the chakras again. When her eyes opened, they were glowing blue! Katara got to her feet and so did Zuko with a bright smile on his face as Katara got to her feet and pulled water out of thin air and bent it! She calmed herself down and her eyes dimmed, and she and Zuko threw themselves into a hug.

"I can't believe it, I'm descended from an Avatar!" Katara exclaimed.

"That ancestor must've been alive hundreds of years ago! Yet you can still carry the gene."

"My Dad had relatives that could bend, but that was some time ago… Thanks Zuko… Say, does that make you my brother?" Katara asked.

"Only our special spirits are brother and sister, make what you want out of that, now let's go." Zuko told her, and they saddled up on Appa and took flight ready to return to the Fire Nation.

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 **Coming up for the epic climax we have two chapters to separate the two final battles, because that will be too much epic-ness to put in one chapter. However, I ask for your help, what can I do differently between Aang and Ozai's fight so I'm not copying and pasting a transcript of the show?**

 **Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25: Ozai's Last Battle

**XXV: Ozai's Last Battle**

 **Are you ready? I took a lot of time writing this to make an epic battle. Given that I have perhaps 100+ people reading this story, I would love to see this chapter earn upwards of 20 reviews, and then I will promise you a battle between Zuko and Azula of epic proportions!**

Aang woke up the next morning to find that his strange island was actually moving! He jumped into the water and discovered that the island was an animal! The biggest animal in the world! He swam around to see its face and found it to be a lion-turtle a great and powerful beast, the lion turtles were the reason why bending even existed, and their power, combined with Raava's, created the first Avatar!

Aang bowed to the lion-turtle and told him: "Maybe you can help me, everyone, including my own past lives, they expect me to take another person's life, and I'm not sure if I can do it. How can I end this war peacefully?"

"The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can touch the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginningless time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light." The lion-turtle spoke and he gently pressed two claws onto Aang and a surge of light went through him: "In the era before the Avatar, we bend not the elements, but the energy within ourselves. To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed. Wait for him, he will come."

The lion-turtle set Aang on a rock and swam away. He looked about and saw that he had plenty of water to bend and a great number of rock pillars at his disposal. With the elements at his command, he was ready to face the Fire Lord.

A light lit up in his chest in a pattern that resembled an owl, and a voice within Aang spoke: "Sozin's comet is coming soon, but you are ready."

"Raava…" Aang spoke.

"I will be here to help you, as I always have."

"How can I enter the Avatar State? I'm going to be facing the Fire Lord when his Firebending is more powerful than ever!"

"You can draw power from the comet too, for you are a Firebender too." Raava replied.

Aang stood at the ready, waiting for the arrival of the Fire Nation airships.

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A surge of power flowed through Aang when Sozin's Comet soared into view… The final battle was on its way.

Seven airships finally arrived, a smaller fleet than the one that Aang had anticipated, but on the Day of Black Sun, the invasion managed to cause plenty of destruction to prevent new ships from being a part of this attack. Aang took note that one of the ships following Ozai's lead ship had broken formation. Somehow, Aang sensed that there were friends on that ship. He took a deep breath and told Momo that it was his time to go. The lemur flew off and Aang kicked things off by Earthbending rocks and knocked out the engine to Ozai's airship after he had started setting fire to the land. Seeing the Avatar, Ozai tossed away his cape and burned it to ash as he propelled himself towards Aang on his fire jets.

"Fire Lord Ozai, you don't have to do this, you have the power to end this!" Aang called out. He truly hoped that Ozai could listen to reason, but with his savage glare, a driving thirst for power, he snarled: "You're right, I do have the power, I have ALL THE POWER IN THE WORLD!"

He roared and he let out a great plume of fire from his mouth as fire jets from his feet held him in the air.

Aang had no choice but to fight now. He evaded Ozai's initial attack by jumping between the rocks and gliding through his Airbending, dodging Ozai's strikes as he blasted great streams of fire! In return to Ozai's attacks, Aang favored pulling rock from the great stone pillars and tossed them for Ozai to dodge, or perhaps knock him out of the sky; but Ozai dodged them all!

Aang threw one large boulder towards Ozai, and with a wave of his arm it split off into three sections and tracked Ozai's flight long enough for Aang to land on one of the stone pillars and catch his breath for a moment while Ozai had to track him down again. Aang remained hidden until he caught his breath and flew up to the top of his pillar and threw a gust of air towards Ozai. He hit him hard enough to the point where Ozai was thrown off his flight trajectory, making him tumble in a spiraling motion, and as he was trying to catch himself, Aang jumped from pillar to pillar to get closer to him and take the offensive, if only for a moment.

He got close enough to Ozai and he jumped just as Ozai took control of his flight again, and Aang turned in a backward spin-kick to let out an arc of flame flying towards Ozai, while Ozai let out a jet of flame from his hands and the two projectiles met in an explosion! Both Ozai and Aang yelped as they were sent flying backwards, although not very far, and Ozai proceeded to fly towards Aang, letting out another jet of fire, aiming for his face! Aang bent the jet to spray around him, and it trickled to the ground looking like lava, and with a stomp and a kick he threw another boulder, which Ozai dodged. He flew in pursuit of Aang, blasting jets of fire one after the other, until Aang reached a pillar formed next to a waterfall. As Ozai lashed out with another great jet of flame, Aang bent the water to quench the flames. The water put out the jet that Ozai threw at him, and the jet propelling his flight had been extinguished for a second. Ozai fell for a brief moment before catching himself and he bent a whip of fire and slashed it through Aang's pillar. The pillar crubled and split, so Aang made a desperate jump as he leapt over to another pillar went back on the defensive by evading Ozai's continuous strikes and often threw rocks at him while he wasn't using Firebending to deflect Ozai's blasts.

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While the fight between the Avatar and the Fire Lord continued on. One airship, the one that was flying out of formation, took to higher skies and then turned its course to collide into the remaining five airships. Metal met metal and released a loud and gut-wrenching sound as the airships' hulls banged together, scraped, and creaked! Parts rattled off and plunged to the ground, and as for those boarded on the ships, if there were any that had survived then it would have been by some miracle.

Luckily, the final ship to've been struck wasn't totally destroyed. Those who steered the traitorous ship were Suki, Sokka, and Toph, and they managed to catch the last ship, by climbing out to the top of their ship and then making a series of daring jumps onto the last ship, and snuck inside. They worked their way towards the main controls and took control of it thanks to Suki and Sokka's fighting styles and Toph's Metalbending. Toph would often choose to bind the ship's crew to the walls inside by bending metal straps around their chests. Sokka and Suki would distract the crewmembers leaving way for Toph to trap them.

They reached the main controls of the final ship, where they encountered the Firebending captain. Although he was careful not to use any big moves inside his ship, he wasn't shy to throw a series of fireballs at them. Sokka advanced with his sword to face him and try to put him on the defensive, but as they dueled Sokka suffered a bad burn on his leg during the ruckus as he and Suki were trying to subdue the captain of the airship, but soon enough, the downing ship was under their control.

They managed to land the craft while fighting the damage it had taken, and once it was down, and the crew taken care of they situated themselves so they could watch the rest of Aang's battle.

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Ozai decided that not was the time to switch over to bending lightning. He kept Aang on the run following up with one strike after another as Aang leapt from pillar to pillar, dodging Ozai's lightning. Aang took a stance on one pillar as Ozai rested on another, and aimed yet another bolt of lightning at Aang. This time, Aang caught it and started the technique to redirect it, the power of Ozai's strike was incredible and only barely possible to control as the power surged through Aang's body and he struggled to aim his redirected strike. At first he pointed towards Ozai, and saw the shocked, almost frightened, face of the Fire Lord, the last time he saw this technique was when Zuko told him that he was going to betray him and teach Aang Firebending, and now he knew that his son was speaking the truth, and now Aang was prepared to use Zuko's special technique to end him; but Aang wasn't a killer, instead he pointed his other arm towards the sky and released the lightning without anyone getting hurt, and it crackled and boomed among the clouds.

When Ozai took flight again, Aang leapt over two more pillars, but at the third, Ozai threw the fiercest lightning bolt he could muster! The bolt struck the pillar Aang was about to land on, and it exploded! Aang flew up with the shockwave and he fell limp with the force. As he plummeted towards the surface of the sea, he bent the water to catch himself before he busted himself up by crashing through the water's surface tension. As Aang rode the resulting wave towards the shore, Ozai threw a powerful fireball that broke through Aang's wave! The Avatar flew into the air once again, his body twisted, and then he landed on the shore his back hitting first, and not only that, but on top of some sort of miracle pebble that applied pressure onto the wound on his back, the wound he'd gotten when Azula struck him with lightning. Ozai struck a nearby cliff and caused a rockslide to fall over Aang, but when Aang landed on that miracle pebble, in just the right spot, he felt a surge of light power course through his body and spirit! He regained his connection to his past lives, receiving visions of each and every one of his past lives demonstrating their greatest defenses and attacks as their Avatar eyes glowed, lending Aang their talents. At the end he caught a vision of Avatar Wan and Raava with an aura of bright white light surrounding them, Aang had reconnected himself with the Avatar Spirit; and as the rockslide fell over him, he put his arms up to shield himself just in time!

Ozai approached the rock pile and began laughing manically, but though the earth, Aang felt his approaching footsteps vibrating; Ozai was almost on top of the rock pile, and conjured up a great fireball to smash down upon the Avatar, when a burst of fire exploded from within it! Ozai moved an arm in front of his face to shield himself from the flying rocks! Within an orb of air, Aang flew out of his rocky trap and glared down at Ozai his eyes and tattoos were glowing white! Ozai conjured up a smaller fireball, and as he was about to throw it, Aang stuck out a hand and a fierce gust of air hit Ozai! The Fire Lord flew backwards and skipped across the water like a flat stone, he rolled and tumbled when he hit the shore, end over end, until he ended up with his back against a cliff!

Aang flew into the air within his orb of air, his head then tilted back, and he let out a roar spouting from his mouth, both of his arms, and both of his legs. The tendrils of flames curled to form a ring around Aang and his orb of air, followed by a ring of earth and then water. For the first time ever, Aang was bending all four elements at once!

Ozai retreated back to the stone pillars with Aang on his tail, and with every blast Ozai threw Aang had some way to keep it from hitting him. With three tendrils of fire being thrown his way, Aang sent three tendrils of water into them, with the water in them, the fire expanded and burst, but not quite like an explosion, it was as if they simply dissipated with a flash of light! In his pursuit of the Fire Lord, Aang used his Earthbending to take off the top third of two pillars in Ozai's path and brought them together, as if in an attempt to crush Ozai. The two pillars came together with a boom and a cloud of dust erupted. Ozai narrowly escaped, and chanced a look behind him, and from the dust cloud, Aang blasted his way through! With his orb of elements, he pursued Ozai, crashing through the pillars, and splitting rocks off into tiny pellets, like bullets, and shot them at Ozai and he weaved frantically about the pillars using his fire jets.

The Fire Lord kept flying through the pillars in attempt to avoid the wrath that was the Avatar in his full power! Aang threw five fireballs that followed Ozai as if they were tracking him; he was lucky that the pillars took all of them as he evaded them one at a time. Ozai tried to retaliate by sending over another torrent of fire Aang's way, but with Aang in his flying orb of all the elements, the fire didn't even faze him.

As Ozai rocketed to the sky, Aang was ready to end things. He extended and rotated an arm, sending out a tendril of water Ozai's way. It reached out and coiled around him. Now in his grip, Aang threw Ozai down on one of the stone pillars, locked his limbs down by encasing them in stone, and with his legion of voices in the Avatar State, he announced: "Fire Lord Ozai, you and your forefathers have upset the balance of this world, and for that you must pay the ultimate price!"

Ozai struggled within his bonds and snapped his eyes shut, as Aang wound up all four elements to pierce through his body. He anticipated an agonizing end, with his entrails having been drilled through with the elements. Just as he was expecting the strike, all he felt was a splash of water!

Ozai looked up and the Avatar descended, having regained his senses, and came out of the Avatar State. He landed on Ozai's pillar and undid his bonds with his back towards the Fire Lord.

"No, I'm not going to end it like this." Aang stated.

The Fire Lord caught his breath and then snarled: "Even with all the power in the world, you're still _weak!_ "

Aang felt the vibrations as Ozai moved towards him in a desperate attempt to attack, but Aang kicked a foot up, and without even looking at Ozai, he managed to catch his arm; the Fire Lord tried to strike again with his other arm, and Aang brought up more stone to entrap him, Ozai tried to breathe fire at Aang, but he deflected the flames with his Airbending, and finally Aang touched one hand on the center of Ozai's forehead, and the other hand was placed on his sternum.

This was his moment; he took the lion-turtle's lesson and began bending Ozai's energy. The two of them looked to the sky, Aang's eyes and maw let out a blue light while Ozai's let out an orange light. A moment later their bodies began glowing those respective colors. Ozai's orange glow slowly took over Aang's body, it kept creeping over him, ready to corrupt and consume him, but just as his blue light was about to fade completely, Aang's head snapped forward, and his blue light powered through his body and quickly overtook Ozai's, the intense light took over the world around them for a moment, but soon the light faded away. Aang staggered back a bit but then stood up, proudly and straight; Ozai on the other hand, collapsed onto his back as his earthen shackles crumbled away. He was weak, but he still made an attempt to strike at Aang by punching into the air a couple of times before collapsing again.

"What, what did you do to me?" Ozai asked weakly.

"I took away your Firebending, you can't use it to hurt anyone ever again." Aang replied. He turned towards the sea and bent the water to extinguish the flames of their battle. Then Aang located the airship he knew his friends were on, and bent the pillars to form a bridge between himself and the airship.

Sokka, Suki, and Toph emerged, praising Aang for his awesome battle, but as Suki asked Aang if he resorted to killing Ozai, the Fire Lord looked up to her and snarled: "I'm still alive."

He then succumbed to Sokka and Toph's childish taunts, and Suki's terrible attempt at one.

"I am the Phoenix King!" Ozai snarled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Poenix King of losers!" Toph retorted. With Ozai under Suki and Sokka's guard Aang and Toph teamed up with some surprisingly cooperative Fire Nation airship crewmembers to salvage parts from the other ships to repair the one that was left in the best state. The airship crewmembers cooperated because they not only feared the Avatar's power and Toph's Metalbending, which came in very handy, but they also seemed to come to accept that Ozai was no longer the one in command.

So with an airship repaired, they all loaded up, they threw Ozai in a cell made with Toph bending metal to form a cage. Then Sokka took the controls and flew them back to the Fire Nation.

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 **I hope you enjoyed that! PLEASE review!**


	26. Chapter 26: Madness

**XXVI: Madness**

 **AUTHOR'S WARNING: The following chapter may be too epic for some viewers to handle, please proceed with caution.**

With the crown ready to be placed on Azula's head, the palace servants, the Dai Li, the Imperial Firebenders, and a unit of the Fire Nation army stood guard as palace servants were dressing her to get ready for her coronation. One combed her lovely hair, another was cleaning her feet, and there was even a woman on her knees with a bowl of cherries for her. Azula munched on the cherries contently while she was being pampered, until she bit onto a pit. Her eyes widened and she spat it out, as she glared at the woman holding the bowl for her mistake, or for rather trying to choke the princess, and she spoke: "What am I holding here?"

"A cherry pit, Princess." The woman replied.

"This is the day of my coronation as your new Fire Lord, the most important day of my life. So tell me why you've decided to leave a pit in my cherry?"

"It was a mistake!"

"A _mistake_! Do you realize what could've happened if I hadn't sensed the pit in time?"

"I suppose that you could've choked." The woman whimpered.

"Yes, so you understand the severity of your crime!" Azula replied, when the woman begged for mercy, she banished her and proceeded to tell her foot scrubber to make sure she got between the toes.

After she had been groomed, she proceeded to the throne room and as she sat among her blue flames, she ended up banishing the Dai Li for their tardiness. It took them five minutes to show up, and she considered that to be plenty of time for an assassin to do away with her.

She continued to prepare for her coronation, but the pain of Mai and Ty Lee's betrayals had caused her to snap. She didn't trust the rest of the guards, but she had a feeling that they would be of use. The dream she had, and the dragon's glowing eyes, she knew that Zuko was coming, she just did.

Azula busied herself by trying to fix her hair in her favorite style, but having not needed to fix her hair on her own before, she ended up with a loose and sloppy mess! She took up a pair of scissors and severed the strands that were to hang loose around her face.

"What a shame, you've always had such beautiful hair."

Azula looked into the mirror and saw that it was her mother, Ursa, speaking to her. She only existed in the mirror, but she spoke to Azula.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wouldn't miss out on my own daughter's coronation." Ursa replied.

"Don't pretend to act proud. I know what you really think of me. You think I'm a monster."

"I think you're confused. All your life you used fear to control people. Like your friends Mai and Ty Lee."

"But what choice do I have?! Trust is for fools. Fear is the only reliable way. Even you fear me."

"No. I love you, Azula. I do." Ursa spoke, her voice gentle and sincere. Azula, turned away from the mirror, snatched up a brush, and in a rage within her psychosis, she threw the brush and smashed the mirror! The image of her mother went away, but in her head, she heard her mother's voice: _"I'll be right here with you Azula, because I love you."_

Azula cried for a moment, but then she put on her mask of intimidation, and proceeded to dress herself for her coronation.

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"Do you have enough water in those skins of yours?" Zuko asked. He was in Appa's saddle while Katara held the reins.

"After what I saw when I've finally opened those chakras, I feel like I could bring in the ocean if I needed to." Katara replied.

The comet was coming, and she heard Zuko taking deep breaths through the gusts of wind rushing past her ears. Zuko felt the incredible surge of power go through him. He breathed again and told Katara: "I'm sure that I don't have to tell you to be on your guard, but you're about to see Firebending like you've never seen it before."

"I'll do my best to keep you two from burning down your city." Katara replied.

They flew over the palace as they heard a fire sage announce: "By decree of Phoenix King Ozai, I now crown you, Fire Lord A…"

"What are you waiting for? DO IT!" Azula ordered, but Appa moaned and landed and Zuko announced: "Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today… I am!" He jumped from Appa's saddle and stood proudly before Azula.

"Ahahaha! You're hilarious, Zuzu." Azula laughed.

"And you're going down." Katara retorted.

"Alright, Zuzu, you want the throne, then I challenge you…" Azula started as she got to her feet, but before she could propose an Agni Kai, Zuko nodded to Katara and she pulled out a tendril of water and whipped it at Azula, striking her across her torso with enough force to knock her back a few steps.

"ARRGH! HOW DARE YOU, FILTHY PEASANT!" Azula roared. She assumed a stance, but Zuko took Katara in one arm, and with his feet and free hand, he used his Firebending to propel them up and onto the roof. He set Katara down on the roof, and he flew back down to the ground as she started to pull water from the air and the clouds and formed a massive ring of tentacles and assumed a battle stance!

"GET THEM! GET THEM!" Azula roared!

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"So, do you have a plan?" Katara asked right after Appa took off.

"With the amount of damage you've caused during the eclipse, father couldn't take the amount of airships he wanted for his attack during the comet, so Azula should have some extra guard. What I don't want is for her to challenge me to an Agni Kai, because she's not a very honorable fighter. Remember the day when I first joined your side? She surrendered to us and then took a cheap shot on our own uncle! So before she can challenge me, I want you to strike her first. It's sure to put her into a rage. Use whatever resources you have, to protect yourself and what you can of the city, but I don't want Azula to suffer, and I no desire to kill her, even though she'll probably try to kill me. Use that Bloodbending trick if you have to, if only to use it to slow down the guard… And Katara, I don't know what'll happen if I go into the Dragon State when the comet comes. The Dragon State alone gives me so much power, so if it becomes too much, even for me, then do what you must."

"So the plan is to go all out, use all resources, after I make the first strike?" Katara asked.

"You strike first and I'll move you to another position while I face Azula." Zuko replied.

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Zuko punched and released a great plume of yellow flames towards Azula and the guard before they struck at Katara. The power harnessed from the comet multiplied Zuko's ability in tenfold! The usual plume from that strike turned into a great torrent of fire, and he wasn't even at his full power yet! The guard and Azula scattered and managed to dodge Zuko's attack, while Katara lashed out a tentacle to slap away the flames before they spread, and even took the liberty to swat a few men off of their feet while she was at it.

Azula stepped forward to strike by chaining several kicks together and blasting blue fireballs towards Zuko, but he used his flame jets to glide out of their trajectory. He crouched low, and with a sweeping kick he made an arc of flames to send towards his sister. She dodged by rocketing up onto the roof of the palace and Katara took the opportunity to use a tentacle and take Azula to toss her out of the palace courtyard, and now she at least appeared to be unguarded by others.

Zuko flew over the palace walls and landed in the city on the same street as Azula, where they proceeded to exchange blasts, and Katara used her water to encase herself in a pod, and used it to crawl down the palace wall, across the street, and slide up the wall of a store, and onto another rooftop where she made a new perch.

Azula sent over a large torrent of fire down the street towards Zuko, but rather than blocking it or evading it, he captured the flames and then through a Waterbending technique, he returned the flames back to Azula, they transitioned from blue to violet and green.

The guard was moving in now, and in numbers that were greater than Katara had expected, they began flooding into the streets to protect Azula, and so Katara took her water and put up walls of ice in order to slow the Firebenders down. She pulled water from the air, clouds, and her skins to put up the walls, but with the comet now, the Firebenders' power allowed them to easily start melting her walls while Zuko was forced to start moving to a better spot. The melting of the walls allowed for steam to fill the streets, limiting visibility as the steam crept across the streets, so Azula ran after her brother and with a palm-heel-strike sent another stream of fire. Zuko spun around and kicked to create an arc of red fire and blocked Azula's strike. She sent another strike, and once again Zuko deflected it, but at a third strike in the chain, Zuko had to jump out of the projectile's way. He flew up and landed on a roof, provoking Azula to follow up after him, but by the time she got up to the roof, Zuko had moved over to another building, and he now had to focus on blocking strikes now coming from the guard, Fire Mages, and Imperial Firebenders. Zuko blocked the strikes with quick and energy-efficient moves.

 _Azula, look at how controlled he is with his actions, he bends with no malice. If only you could do the same, if only you didn't want to fight him. I love you, Azula, as much as I have Zuko. Please, you have the power to end this fight. Being the Fire Lord is not your destiny._

 _Shut up, Mother!_ Azula shouted in her mind.

 _I meant it when I said that I love you and that I'll be right here with you._

Katara tried to assist Zuko in building up more ice walls and trapping the guards by freezing their feet to the ground, but she also put in the effort to keep them from burning the city to the ground, with her attention divided, Zuko still had to put some distance between himself, Azula, and the guard.

He ended up in the center of town, with Azula right on his tail, she started bending her lightning and threw a strike towards Zuko, and he caught it and threw it right back at her. She dodged it just in time. As she kept throwing strikes at him, the guard proceeded to surround Zuko as he focused on his sister.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! BLAST THAT TRAITOR INTO OBLIVION!" Azula shouted. Zuko looked about and saw that he was cornered, but then he heard the voice of Lux speak within him: _I am ready._

In one fell swoop, everyone in the circle sent torrents of fire towards Zuko, and within the moment, without anyone noticing, his eyes lit up as he went into the Dragon State!

"ZUKO, NO!" Katara cried out as she watched the _torrents_ of flame engulf her friend.

 _Azula, dear child, when you hurt your brother, you'll hurt yourself too!_ Ursa's voice spoke, pleadingly, in Azula's mind.

"Shut up!" Azula hissed under her breath. She gave her head a violent shake, messing up her up until it all fell loose. She stood straight and watched with a satisfied, sinister, smirk on her face as she could sense her brother being reduced to ash with the power of the flames

Katara brought her hands to her mouth, tears welling in her eyes as she watched the torrents of flames that had encased her friend. She was sure to cry, but then the flames that were surrounding Zuko started to swirl and swell further upward into the sky! Katara's eyes lit up, for she knew now that Zuko was bending the flames! The torrents spiraled and then took on several beautiful colors as they turned into a flaming tornado!

The Firebenders stopped feeding into the tornado, but it only continued to swell in height, the Firebenders retreated into the side streets and alleyways, while Azula stood before the tornado just simply dumbfounded. Just what, she wondered, was going on in there? Finally, something boomed within the tornado and it rings of shockwaves through the twister as it climbed up and out into the sky! It was Zuko, his eyes glowing as golden as the comet, and spreading out from his shoulders were a pair of appendages that represented the bones of a dragon's wings, made up of fire, and they acted as if they were in sync with Zuko's mind, as they aided him to fly!

The tornado soon died away, and Zuko swooped down in an attack towards Azula. She then powered up her fire jets and glided across the square to dodge him and then send him a chain of blasts, only for Zuko to deflect of redirect her attacks, oftentimes she had to dodge them, leaving the fire to catch on the buildings surrounding them.

Katara set to work again as she rode a wave up, down, and around the buildings to wash away the flames, and she continued to pull in more water wherever she could collect it. As she made her way about the buildings, she'd find Firebenders attempting to strike at her, but she was able to either shield the blows with the water or bend a tentacle to power-slap them to send them flying to the other end of the street or into walls of buildings.

Azula glided out of the main square of the city, her jets at full speed; and for a moment, Zuko, still in the Dragon State and wearing flame wings, just stood up straight and watched her glide away. Then Azula shot herself into the air, and landed upon the roof of a shop, she turned to look back at Zuko, and shot off a great chain of fireballs by throwing punches and kicks. Zuko responded by taking flight! His wings of fire stroked as if they were connected to his mind, no physical Firebending was needed, it was simply as if the wings were a part of him.

Loyal Firerbenders that were still standing grouped closer to Azula, prepared to defend the princess. Katara was within the distance to start bending at them, and she had accumulated enough water to fill a descent-sized pond, the problem was that Zuko was ready to strike!

Zuko maneuvered into a spiraling dive and during his plummet he fired scattered shots of fireballs which exploded on impact, sending Azula's guard flying and running off in screams, though she herself managed to leap between rooftops to avoid Zuko's strikes.

As Zuko pulled out of his dive, Azula performed a series of kicks, sending arcs of flames Zuko's way, until one of them struck through his wings and severed his connection with them! Zuko tumbled towards the ground, and ended up smacking down onto a roof. When he hit the roof, his left arm was stuck out to the side and bent at the elbow, he landed right on his elbow, crushing the humorous in that arm and dislocated his shoulder!

Azula laughed and staggered in a manic fit before gliding over rooftops towards Zuko. Soon she used her flame jets into the air, a large fireball over her hand, and she was prepared to smash it down onto her brother! However, a Dragon State Zuko wasn't going to go down like that, no, he opened up his mouth and let out a giant plume of fire of many hues, just like the dragons! It took Azula's full effort to just block it in time and use her fire jets to escape. She looked to her brother with frightened eyes and began panting.

 _No, this can't be!_ I'VE _always been the more powerful child! How can he hold such strength, when I've always been the superior Firebender?_ Azula thought to herself. She watched as Zuko got back up to his feet; and although his eyes were still glowing, she saw that he cradled his arm, he held his shoulder awkwardly, and his face was contorted with pain. She knew that he was injured, and that made everything just perfect for her as she rooted herself in her stance on the roof, and began to bend lightning!

Zuko stood calmly, hand assumed a stance as Azula sent the bolt of lightning his way! Zuko caught the bolt with his injured arm and cried out in agony as it coursed through his injuries; but it wasn't a human scream, it sounded more like a draconic shriek! He then redirected the bolt of lightning, not at Azula, but towards the guards and Firebenders that were going after Katara. At the present moment, the imperial Firebenders and members of the guard were surrounding her, there was even a fire mage, and she was altering between striking them with water tentacles and then putting up shields made up of water and ice, a lot of her water was starting to go up in steam by the time that bolt of lightning crackled and boomed their way, it landed on the ground, about two feet away behind Katara's assailants, but it was still plenty close enough to stun them so she had a way of escape.

Katara just about had enough of dealing with the Firebenders, and so decided that it was time to switch tactics, so she rode on a wave towards the sea.

Zuko looked back to Azula and started bending, but not fire, he was bending lightning! He stuck out his arm and fired a bolt at Azula, which she dodged with a back-flip and she ran off to gather her guards.

In pursuit after Azula, Zuko's wings of fire had returned and he took flight and watched as the guard started to gather closer to Azula. Lightning crackled between the fingers of his wings, and then with a cross-swing of his good arm, he rode the bolt of lightning to the ground, and landed with an explosion surrounding him! A few cobblestones shot into the air, a shockwave sent people flying back a few paces, and when the dust settled, there stood Zuko in a crater, cradling his wounded arm, but with a calm but almost sad face as he locked eyes with Azula.

Azula on the other hand was slipping, and with her hair and eyes looking wild and crazy she turned to her guard and shouted: "QUIT HOLDING BACK YOU INCOMPETENT FOOLS! FIRE AT HIM! HE'S A TRAITOR TO THE FIRE NATION!"

All guards within a 100-foot radius of Azula heard her orders and took their shots at Zuko, and suddenly his Dragon State went into overload! His eyes glowed even brighter and breathed out a magnificent golden plume of fire, but the flames didn't dissipate, rather they cocooned around Zuko, and shielded him from the great torrents of fire heading his way. When the torrents died they all saw that Zuko's golden flames were more than just flames, encasing Zuko was a spirit form of a dragon, and Zuko was suspended within it, right about where the dragon's heart would be.

Any fire mages that were present immediately surrendered and bowed in the face of the golden flame dragon, and those less than faithful to Azula had dropped to their knees. Only those that still feared Azula, and still had a few ounces of loyalty to Ozai were the ones that stayed to fight.

The dragon took flight and circled the town. Its face showed no sign of anger or malice, when shots were fired at it, the dragon merely dodged them and returned fire with it's multi-colored breath of flame.

By this time, Katara had returned, her eyes glowing blue as she brought in the sea, allowing it to creep into the streets.

The dragon landed and let out another great stream of fire, by now most of Azula's guard had fled, and so it was her versus her brother.

 _Azula, please, you don't have to fight him. Abandon this path for power and find your own, or you will be consumed!_ Ursa's voice pleaded. Azula screamed and released a bolt of lightning, striking the dragon, Zuko redirected most of it, but took a great shock thanks in part to his injuries, the dragon screeched and spewed flames as it convulsed out of control, it distracted Azula long enough for Katara to make a move. She bent tendrils of water to coil around Azula and she used them to tie the crazed princess to the ground and froze her in place! Azula, realizing her predicament began fighting the restraints, thrashing however much she could and screaming, spitting blue flames out of her mouth as a last-ditch effort to keep fighting, but now she had been captured, and there was no getting out of Katara's trap until she was released.

As for Zuko, the dragon faded, but he was still convulsing from Azula's last strike, and even with all threats out of the way now, he was still in the Dragon State, stuck in it. Katara approached him, and with a heavy heart, she found the strength to bend his blood without the presence of the full moon. Zuko's body seized up as Katara's grip took hold of him and she forced him down to his knees with her friend groaning in discomfort. He slumped forward, cradling his wounded arm, and he looked up, his eyes still glowing, but flickering, and then Katara bent him so that his pulse slowed down until she managed to force him to sleep, and he toppled over to one side and rolled over onto his back. The battle was over.

Katara turned and put out the remaining flames around the city from where she stood, until she heard a weak voice calling out to her: "Katara… Katara."

It was Zuko, now out of the Dragon State. Katara approached him as he spoke: "Thank you." He then looked over to the side and saw his sister wresting with her bonds while whimpering and sobbing, she had finally snapped completely.

"What are we going to do about her?" Katara asked.

"Keep her restrained, and have her sent to asylum to see if she can be treated… Also I want to free her friends, Mai and Ty Lee." Zuko replied, before anything else could be said, Zuko had passed out, leaving Katara to have him taken back to the palace and for Azula to be taken care of.

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	27. Chapter 27: The Aftershocks

**XXVII: The Aftershocks**

With the aid of the White Lotus, Iroh had retaken the city of Ba Sing Se during Sozin's Comet, Iroh stood before the palace and watched with a quiet pride as the Fire Nation banner burned away and revealed the Earth Kingdom emblem underneath it.

After securing their victory, and the comet had passed, Iroh returned to the Jasmine Dragon, he was happy to see that it was kept in good shape since he left it and it appeared that no one had gotten into it for some looting, so he checked whatever herbs he had left and found enough for a pot of tea to share with his comrades as a means to celebrate.

The night after the comet passed, Iroh busied himself by sweeping his teashop when a messenger hawk flew in through the open door and trilled its song to him. Iroh took the letter and it read:

 _General Iroh,_

 _It's Mai, a friend of Zuko's and now a former friend of Azula's, you probably remember my father, Ukano. At any rate, I write to you to tell you that Zuko and Azula went into battle against each other, and it ended in Zuko's favor; unfortunately, neither of them came out unscathed. They're both alive, but Zuko is currently dealing with a couple injuries, while Azula is currently being detained at a hospital, Zuko's Water Tribe friend told me that there was something unstable about Azula when they fought her._

 _Zuko is recovering, but we wish for you to be here. Please come at your earliest convenience, and we'll tell you everything, and you'll get to see your nephew's coronation, I'm sure that would mean the world to him._

Iroh dropped what he was doing and made his leave for the Fire Nation.

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Zuko woke up in a daze, his vision was blurred and he felt a cold pack on his forehead as well as some bandages around his arm and shoulder. A moment later, the cold pack was removed and he turned his head to see who took it. Through his blurred vision, he saw that it was Katara tending to him, and through muffled voices he heard that she was talking to someone, and he managed to see that Mai had arrived! Somehow she had been pardoned while he was out.

Mai approached him, and he smiled lightly when his vision cleared. Her hand brushed his cheek and she looked over to Katara and told her: "He's awake."

"Oh, good… Oh, careful Mai, you're almost on his bad arm."

"A bad arm on one side and a bad scar on the other; Zuko, you really know how to get yourself into trouble, but I guess that leads to something fun." Mai replied, taking a step back and folding her arms.

"Well I did get into a big fight with Azula and most of the royal guard to put her in her place, if you count that as fun. How long was I out?" Zuko asked.

"It's been a couple of days." Katara replied.

"Katara told me what went on during Sozin's comet and I've got to say, being your girlfriend has gotten even more interesting." Mai replied.

"Katara, how much damage did we cause?" Zuko asked.

"Enough that you're going to have to rebuild some places; and I'm not too sure how you did it, but you rode on a bolt of lightning and hit the ground hard enough to make a crater in a road… Now, Zuko, when you're ready to get up, the Fire Mages will be ready to speak with you to discuss your coronation. For now, is there anything you need?"

"Has the Avatar returned?" Zuko asked.

"Yes, Aang, Sokka, Suki, and Toph got here yesterday on an airship complete with a crew, and your father as their prisoner. Aang didn't tell me too much about their battle, but he did tell me that a talking lion-turtle taught him how to take away your father's ability to bend. Ozai is completely powerless now and is awaiting trial. As for the others, they're in the palace, but I'm not sure what they're up to." Katara replied.

"What about Uncle Iroh?"

"I've sent a letter to Ba Sing Se via messenger hawk once Katara caught me up on what happened; hopefully he'll be here soon." Mai replied.

Zuko tried to sit up, but it turned out that he was too weak for such a task for the moment, especially with only one good arm.

"Why don't I have any strength?" Zuko asked.

"Well, you haven't eaten in a couple days, you were in the Dragon State for a fair amount of that battle and wielding that much power for that much time takes a mighty toll, and because you were losing control of the Dragon State at the end of the fight I had to Bloodbend you to help you get out of it and to relax you. It turns out that when used right, Bloodbending can be an effective healing tool. I've been using that technique to try and heal your arm up some, but it seems that it needs time to heal on its own accord too."

"Again, thank you Katara, but uh…"

"Right, I'll get you something to eat." Katara replied, and she left the room.

On her way to the kitchen, she met up with Sokka with a messenger hawk on his shoulder and a letter in his hand and he told her: "Iroh's going to be here by nightfall."

"Well, that was quicker than I expected, alright, and Zuko's awake now, so I'll tell him the news once I get something for him to eat. Sokka, while I'm taking care of Zuko, would you mind greeting Iroh at the city's entrance when he gets here?" Katara replied.

"Of course, maybe Aang would like to come along too."

Sokka took the liberty of showing her to the kitchen where a palace cook was able to fix something up for Zuko, but what the cook put in the bowl made Katara pull a weird face as she asked: "What is this?"

"Crab-shrimps in hot oil with rice, one of Zuko's favorites, there's also a pot of oolong tea for him and some mochi… You look a bit weary, miss, I'll fix a serving for you and Mai too to take back." The cook replied, and she served up three more servings before placing the trays on a trolley to take back to Zuko's room.

When Katara returned with the trolley and found that Mai helped Zuko to sit up in the bed, Katara poured the tea into Zuko's cup and set his tray on his lap saying: "So, Sokka received a letter that your uncle will be here by nightfall."

Zuko gave her a small smile and started eating, his strength gradually returned with each bite.

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Iroh's boat arrived just in time, and he was happy to see Sokka and Aang waiting for him, and he asked them to tell him everything that was going on. Well, Aang and Sokka elaborated about the battle with Ozai, and made it clear that Ozai was both alive and powerless at the present time, and then they went into detail about what they heard about Zuko's battle with Azula. Apparently both of them went crazy, Azula just lost her sanity, and the comet overwhelmed Zuko's powers in the Dragon State.

"Zuko has been awake for most of the day if you'd like to go see him." Aang stated.

"Thank you, Avatar Aang." Iroh replied, and the boys escorted him to the palace, but along the way, Iroh got a good look at the damage his niece and nephew had caused, there were scorch marks all over the place and burnt rooftops as well as some rubble.

Still, it was great to see Zuko again, by this time he had moved from the bed and into a chair with a robe draped over his shoulders, he was busy talking with a fire mage to go over the plans for his coronation and Ozai's trial.

"How're you doing, Fire Lord Zuko?" Iroh asked, announcing his presence. Zuko bowed his head to him and waved him over. Iroh looked over to the Fire Mage and told him: "Perhaps it would be wise to go over the rest of the plans with me, he looks as if he still needs time to recover."

"I agree with my uncle." Zuko spoke, and so the fire mage left with Iroh.

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Now it was the day of the coronation, Mai helped Zuko into his dress robes and he stood with Aang for a moment, he was also in something more ceremonial as well.

"It's kind of hard to believe that a year ago, all I ever cared about was capturing you." Zuko stated.

"I can hardly believe that a year ago I was stuck in an iceberg." Aang replied, then his face brightened up as he added: "Now we're friends."

"Yeah, friends… Well it's time to step outside into a new era." Zuko replied. He stepped into the outside to face an audience with all the nations present, friends reunited, and cheers sounded as he stepped into the sunlight, with fire mages ringing a gong to announce his arrival, and he received more cheers as he announced: "Please, the real hero is the Avatar!"

Zuko stepped to the side to allow Aang to stand beside him as he continued to announce: "I now declare that this war is officially over!"

Cheers erupted.

"I've promised my uncle, General Iroh, that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and so I shall welcome an era of love and peace. The path ahead of us will be hard, the war has left the world out of balance and scarred, but I believe that through hard work and the Avatar's help we shall restore harmony between our nations."

Zuko then got down on his knees and a fire mage then placed a crown upon Zuko's head and declared him Fire Lord Zuko!

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There was a celebration and feast thrown in order to commemorate the occasion, and of course people wanted to approach Zuko and Aang with questions, but when a general stepped up, he asked: "Fire Lord Zuko, what shall your first order of business be as Fire Lord?"

"Here at home, my father must undergo trial, as for foreign affairs, I wish to discuss a matter of the Fire Nation Colonies with the Earth King, Kuei, but from what I've heard he's traveling in disguise with his pet bear, and it's just a bear. After today, I'd like for you to send out units to search for the Earth King, get him back on his throne in Ba Sing Se, and report back to me." Zuko replied.

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko." The general replied.

"I can stick around or go search for the Earth King if you'd like." Aang told Zuko, as he was sitting at his side. Zuko looked to Aang and told him: "Actually, I'd like to come up with something special for you, and I think that you'll enjoy this idea."

"Yeah, what is it?" Aang asked in excitement.

"You see, both Katara and I are carry children of Raava, and it only make sense. I thought that it would be fun if gifted benders had a special club: Members would be made up of gifted benders that seek to better themselves as both people and as benders. They'll learn to perform techniques from other bending styles, how to open their chakras, and should they happen to fully realize their elements, we'll find out if they carry a child of Raava. Of course not every bender has that potential, but all benders are welcome. They'll also learn the teachings of your people, how to respect all life and to free their spirits."

"This sounds great, Zuko, but what do you hope will become of this club?" Aang asked.

"I would hope that this club would act as a second Avatar. You can't be in more than one place at the same time, and should you get wounded in battle or something like that, they could take your place while you recover. This club will be nomadic and pledge their allegiance to those they feel deserve their help."

"This does sound cool… and wait, _Katara's_ a child of Raava too? When did this happen?"

"Since a couple days before the comet. She didn't tell you?" Zuko asked.

"Whoops, sorry Aang!" Katara said as she was sitting next to him.

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The next day was Ozai's trial, and the Fire Nation General set out with a unit to go and search for the Earth King and was encouraged to recruit as many people as he could to aid his search.

Before the trial began, Zuko introduced Aang and Toph to the judge, and then stated: "Judge Lao, I'll stand as a witness before this court, as well as Avatar Aang. Master Toph, here, is here to serve as a lie detector, she can feel certain vibrations to tell if someone is being dishonest. Now, I know that you're in charge of the sentencing, but despite the fact that most of the world would rather see Ozai put to death, I wish to respect Avatar Aang's efforts in sparing his life and keep him alive."

"Of course, Fire Lord Zuko, and as Fire Lord, you do have a say in how we should sentence your father."

They stepped out into the courtroom where Ozai sat and they brought up charges of treason and upsetting the balance of the world, and with Toph acting as a human lie detector, Zuko's testimony was damning for Ozai as Zuko told of the story of Ozai's confession during the Day of Black Sun. After asking for Iroh's birthright after the death of Lu Ten, Ozai found out that Zuko was to act as Iroh's heir, but since Ozai wanted the throne and Azula happened to be eavesdropping so they came up with a scheme saying that Azulon ordered Ozai to kill his own son so he'd know Iroh's pain. Ursa heard of the false plan and stepped in to protect her son. Being a talented herbalist, she concocted a poison for Ozai to whatever he pleased with it and after slipping Azulon the poison, he banished Ursa falsified Azulon's will, and took the throne for himself.

Of course Ozai was found guilty of both the charges, and after some discussion between Judge Lao and the Fire Lord they came to a decision, and Judge Lao allowed Zuko to announce the sentence: "Ozai, your life shall be spared, but Judge Lao and I have agreed that you shall be hereby stripped of all royal titles, you shall also live out your days in prison; but each day you shall be escorted out of your cell to aid in community service for a few hours. If you can somehow learn to respect the ways of a simple and modest life, perhaps you'll walk as a free man again and live out the rest of your days with a modest life."

Ozai was hauled away to the prison, and Zuko ordered that all figures of Fire Lord Ozai would be destroyed, seeing as that he was never meant to have the throne at all. His tapestry in the palace was to be burned, and any statues of him were to be melted down so the metal could be used for other purposes.

Toph and Aang followed Zuko out of the court and Aang spoke: "I like that you're giving Ozai a chance to redeem himself, but do you plan to just erase him from history?"

"No, I'll make sure that his crimes are remembered as well as his redemption if that ever happens, but his reign shall be seen as a shame to the Fire Nation." Zuko replied, he saw a distant look on Aang's face and told him: "Hey it's going to be a while before the Earth King is found, perhaps you can find Katara and get a start on that club we talked about."

"Sounds good, but what are you going to do?" Aang asked.

"I'm going to see how the city's restorations are going, there's not much I can do to help with this busted arm though. Toph, would you please come with me?"

"Sure thing." Toph replied. Zuko left Aang to go about on his own while he took Toph to the site of the crater he created.

"Whoa, what happened here?" Toph asked.

"I happened, during the fight with my sister I rode a lightning bolt to this spot and landed with this crater. Would you mind filling it?" Zuko asked. Toph just stomped her foot and filled the crater and Zuko showed her around and she aided in any stone related repairs. All in all, it was a good day for the Fire Lord and his friends.

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	28. Chapter 28: Union Meeting

**XXVIII: Union Meeting**

 **Okay, I think it's time to tell all of you that I plan on going into the comic storylines; some of you guys are jumping the gun on the farewells!**

Two months had passed since the coronation, and the Earth King still had yet to be found, to help pass the time, Zuko had gotten in contact with the mayor of the Fire Nation Colony of Yu Dao, to tell him that he was planning on paying a visit to the city to show the Avatar that people of the Earth Kingdom could live and prosper with Fire Nation citizens living with them; the mayor, Morishita, had responded in saying that it would be his honor to play host to the Avatar and Fire Lord as they learned about their way of life.

By now, Aang and Zuko's union of Children of Raava was doing well. With Appa's help Aang managed to collect members from the Earth and Water peoples. As of right now the union had thirty members, with ages ranging from ten to thirty, and before Aang taught them how to open their chakras he taught them some styles of bending from all the other elements that could translate into bending other elements and lectured to them about some Air Nomad philosophies and what he and Zuko had hoped for what would become of this union.

There was one lesson that Katara taught to the union to teach them that each and every bender must accept all aspects of their bending, what was both good and bad about their abilities, and so on the night of a full moon, she brought in a rat and practiced Bloodbending with it:

"When I first discovered this ability, I was horrified at what it can do, it's painful for those who experience it, but I suppose that it can be used to stop an advancing attacker from harming you, and I've recently discovered that this ability to control human bodies can be used to help heal others. I've used it when I had worked on helping Zuko to heal his arm. So with such a bad power, I've managed to find something good to do with it." Katara had told them.

On the day Aang was going to teach the Children of Raava Union how to open up their chakras, Aang had invited Zuko and Katara to witness the occasion.

"Alright everyone, when done just right, this is the moment that will prove whether or not you are true Children of Raava. Now don't get upset if you don't have the trait, you can still be in the union, and to hold a Child of Raava is a rare occurrence, you have to be a bending descendant of an Avatar that has fully realized their element, opened up all their chakras, and you also have to have the right gene." Aang explained, and then he directed the union through the exorcises to open up their chakras, and everything was going smoothly until Aang reached the Thought Chakra, and he told them: "Now if you are a true Child of Raava, then this chakra will help you to trigger your Dragon State, Tidal State, or Rumble State. Firebenders, you may want to isolate yourselves a bit more. When Fire Lord Zuko triggered his Dragon State for the first time, it was a bit of an explosive reaction."

He then guided them through the last chakra, and a mere three of them were able to trigger their ultimate state! One being a ten-year-old orphaned girl of the Fire Nation, a fifteen year-old boy from the Northern Water Tribe (but collected at the South Pole), and a seventeen year-old woman of the Earth Kingdom. At least there was one from each element, and the Firebender that triggered the Dragon State had a similar reaction as Zuko, and she had to be restrained until they helped to calm the young Firebender down, she was very apologetic when she'd gotten out of the Dragon State.

"Hey, it's alright, that was more or less what happened to me when we discovered that Children of Raava even existed." Zuko told her.

"Congratulations for the three of you who've proven yourselves to be among these unique benders, and congratulations to those of you who've managed to open up your chakras!" Aang told them, and as a special small present to the new Children of Raava, Aang handed out bracelets of wooden beads painted in the colors in representation of their element. It was enough to award those special benders while being subtle enough so as to not make the other members of the union feel as if they'd failed.

Zuko, Aang, and Katara shook hands with everyone for their accomplishments, and for a brief moment between shaking hands, Katara looked to Zuko and asked him: "May I check on that arm?" He allowed her, and he braced himself as she checked his injury through Bloodbending, and she told him: "It's still healing, but it should be better within a few weeks."

"Thanks." Zuko replied, and he headed back to the palace, it was a bit of a walk back there, seeing as that the union met at a quarry with a natural water pool. Along the way, he spotted three prison guards watching a man with chains on his legs as he was busy aiding a teashop clerk by sweeping her floors and replanting her window boxes. The man in chains was Ozai, and his eyes met Zuko's for a second, Ozai's held a level of hatred and misery while Zuko kept his eyes calm, they looked away from each other and carried on about their business.

Before Zuko had a chance to enter the palace courtyard, the General sent to track down the Earth King had arrived with news!

The General bowed to Zuko and declared: "Fire Lord Zuko, we have located Earth King Kuei and have told him of Ba Sing Se's liberation from Fire Nation control and he is currently on his way back to his place at the Earth Palace."

"That's excellent, General, and please send word to the King that I wish to discuss matters of the Fire Nation Colonies with him." Zuko replied.

"Of course Fire Lord Zuko."

When the General left to carry out his orders, Zuko ran back towards the quarry where Aang and Katara should still be with the Children of Raava. When he returned, he announced: "Earth King Kuei has been found and is on his way back to Ba Sing Se to reclaim his place on the throne."

Aang and Katara cheered for a moment before Zuko held his hand up to quiet them down and announced: "Before we join the King, I wish to take all of you to the Fire Nation's first colony, Yu Dao, where people of the Earth Kingdom have lived with the Fire Nation since the days of Sozin's reign!"

Everyone had exchanged glances but they were ready to go once Zuko had readied a ship to take them to the Earth Kingdom, and Sokka, Appa, Momo, Suki, and Toph were ready to go too.

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The trip was relatively short, but then again this was the first colony the Fire Nation established.

Zuko had intended to walk to the city by himself with guards flanking him and his friends, but the guards insisted for respect and tradition's sake, that Zuko would take the palanquin into the city, and with his friends walking before him.

They arrived at Yu Dao and looking around they saw buildings with Fire Nation red accents and Earth Kingdom green roofs, and Zuko ordered his men to set him down so he could stroll the streets to lecture his friends what he knew about the colony, and sent the Children of Raava off to explore and see what they could learn about the city on their own and perhaps try to get some new members to join.

"As I've said, this colony is the Fire Nation's oldest, it's even older than you, Aang. Before it was founded as a colony, this place was just a small, quiet, village sitting at the bottom of a valley." Zuko explained and he started for the center of town.

"So where are you taking us?" Sokka asked.

"I've been in contact with Mayor Morishita, he will be our host during our stay here, and so we'll be going to his house." Zuko replied. As they walked through the city, they caught sight of an Earth Kingdom teen shining the shoes of a Fire Nation elder, a Fire Nation blacksmith apprenticing another young Earth Kingdom man, but also a Fire Nation woman purchasing produce from an Earth Kingdom woman.

"Things do seem peaceful around here with two nations living together. I'm not picking up any fighting vibrations and any conversations I hear seem to be either friendly or business-like." Toph stated.

Zuko showed them to the Mayor's house and knocked on the door, and the mayor opened up to promptly bow to his guests: "Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko, it is an honor to have you here as my guests, and who're these three?" Mayor Morishita asked, gesturing to Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Toph.

"Mayor Morishita, these are my closest friends, forgive me for not telling you about them, but will you be willing to act as their host too?" Zuko replied.

"Of course, but if you plan on staying overnight, you'll have to rent out rooms at one of the inns, unless they'd rather do some camping."

"We'll be fine for housing, now would you mind taking us on a tour of your city?" Zuko asked.

"Actually, I'd like for you all to step inside first, and meet my wife and daughter." Morishita replied. He stepped aside to allow the kids inside, where they found that this Fire Nation mayor had an Earth Kingdom wife! Their beautiful daughter, announced as Kori, bore both of her parents' colors.

"Kori is an Earthbender, just like her mother, but through my bloodline, she is a proud Fire Nation citizen and she's just as proud to be an Earthbender." Mayor Morishita stated. Zuko stepped forward and spoke: "Kori, it is my pleasure to meet you."

"And it is an honor to meet my Fire Lord." Kori replied, and she bowed with the Fire Nation salute.

The Mayor and family invited the friends to lunch and what they served was a twist of traditional Earth Kingdom cuisine with Fire Nation spices, and in-between conversation with his family, Mayor Morishita explained how the Fire Nation helped the Earth Kingdom people turn Yu Dao into one of the most successful cities in the world, benefitting people of both nations.

"We had a good look at the people of this city, Mayor, but it doesn't seem that the people here don't have an equal share of this wealth." Suki stated.

"It's true that the majority of our wealthier citizens have Fire Nation roots, I think that I can persuade you that my people are much better off than they are now."

"Everyone's happy here, right Mayor?" Zuko asked.

"My city isn't perfect, Fire Lord Zuko, but we live peacefully, save for a few petty criminals, so I will say that the people here are happy. Why do you ask?"

"Politics between myself, the Earth King, and the Avatar. I'm one to believe that Fire Nation citizens such as yourself have every right to live here as much as the Earth Kingdom, even though I'm considering on removing Ozai's colonies and a few of the newer ones from Fire Lord Azulon's reign."

"Avatar Aang, certainly you don't think that our Fire Lord should pull families from their homes, do you?"

"Before I set out to learn how to master the elements, I've been taught that the four nations need to be separate to live in harmony and to maintain the balance. When two nations do come together like this, it upsets the balance and the stronger nation completely takes over the other."

"Forgive me, Avatar Aang, but if you're the last member of the Air Nomads and the four nations need to be apart, how're you to have a family?" Kori asked. Aang's eyes quickly glanced over to Katara before he replied: "I wasn't finished, during my travels across the world, I journeyed with members of every other nation, and we did it in harmony. Sure there were a few bumps in the road, but we all came out as friends. So I'm willing to welcome a new world."

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Team Avatar and the Children of Raava stayed for a few more days to learn the way of life for the people of Yu Dao, and they learned that it was something that was truly special, and they even found out that a few of the late Jet's Freedom Fighters were living in Yu Dao too: Sneers, Smellerbee, and Longshot, and Sneers was dating the Mayor's daughter! Sokka and Aang were quite impressed with him.

During their time there, Toph decided to take the opportunity to teach Kori how to bend metal, and Kori was astounded that it was even possible! She ran to her father right away and the Mayor insisted that she should start teaching the new technique right away, and even gave her a building for training purposes! So with Toph busy training her new swarm of students, she was unable to tag along with her friends as they took off to meet King Kuei in the city of Ba Sing Se.

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 **Please review.**


	29. Chapter 29: King's Word

**XXIX: King's Word**

Katara and Aang held hands as the ship carried them towards the city of Ba Sing Se, and they watched the sea. Sokka and Suki were playing at practicing their warrior skills by trying out Kyoshi warrior forms and practicing at tossing Sokka's boomerang, complete with a practice dummy.

Realizing that his friends were busy, Zuko went below deck and met up with the Children of Raava and see how they were doing, but while he planned on training them, if need be, those who were true Children of Raava had promptly swarmed him and asked him about his experiences in the Dragon State. As he talked, he finally learned the names of the true Children of Raava: of Earth there was Zhu Lin, from the Water Tribe was Narrik, and of Fire was Jade. He managed to teach them some Firebending techniques that he knew translated well into other forms of bending until Sokka came down to watch them.

"I thought that I might find you here." He stated.

"Sokka, what's going on?" Zuko asked.

"We're nearing the shores leading to Ba Sing Se. I figured that you'd want to know."

"Thanks, Sokka, Children of Raava, the city of Ba Sing Se is massive, and I'd hate for any of you to get lost there, but it might also be a good place to gather new members. So it is up to you all if you want to leave the ship, but if you do, please stick together. I'd hope to be back here by this sundown." Zuko spoke.

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King Kuei stood before a map in his throne room with the Fire Nation Colonies marked out, his pet bear at his side when his guard announced the arrival of Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang.

"You, I remember you from before, you're the new Fire Lord?" King Kuei questioned.

"Yes, you met me while I was in my exile, but now my father's been removed from power and my birthright was reinstated." Zuko replied.

"You were also one that aided to overthrow me!" King Kuei exclaimed.

"Your Majesty, please, we need to be civil. What matters is that you're back in power now." Zuko stated calmly.

"He's right your Earthiness. We wish to discuss matters involving the Fire Nation colonies." Aang stated.

"Very well, and do you have any propositions?" King Kuei asked. Zuko stepped forward and explained: "For my father's dishonorable actions, I've resolved to strip him of his title and imprison him. All monuments of him have been destroyed and I plan on returning the lands of the colonies established during his reign back to the Earth Kingdom."

"Well now, this seems to work in a good favor, but I've taken note that in comparison to the Fire Lords' Sozin and Azulon, that your father had a remarkably short reign and had established very few colonies."

"Ozai did only have claim to the throne for five years." Zuko told the King.

"So, what about the rest of the colonies? In my travels, I've learned that the colonies are a reminder of the pain that the Fire Nation has caused my people, it's like an old scar… No offense Fire Lord…" King Kuei spoke, he gestured to Zuko's face at the word 'scar', but before Zuko could say anything, the King continued: "So I've a resolve to further heal my people, and we can only achieve that if their lands were returned to them, under my power."

"With all do respect, your majesty, Fire Nation blood was spilled too, their sweat went into helping to establish those colonies, and the oldest ones now have families that have their roots in those colonies, they have nothing to go to if they're forced to go to the Fire Nation."

"So you're telling me that you wish to keep your colonies? After all the suffering your forefathers have caused my people, the blood that was shed, the pain that still remains to this day, how you've humiliated this kingdom, and you're saying that you want to keep the rest of the colonies standing! Fire Lord Zuko, I'll not have my people suffer anymore. Our nations will be separate, and that will be the only way we can achieve peace. Fire Lord Zuko, I demand that you remove all of your colonies, and that all Fire Nation citizens return to their lands of origin!"

"King Kuei, if you'll hear me out, you'll understand that your request is outrageous." Zuko spoke.

" _Outrageous?!_ The Fire Nation didn't think it outrageous when they decided to commit the genocide of the Air Nomads and invade my nation! Fire Lord Zuko, I insist that you remove _all_ colonies for the good of our people!"

"King Kuei, Fire Lord Zuko has a legitimate point in keeping some of his colonies, if you would just hear him out!" Aang exclaimed.

"Avatar Aang, could you really be standing up for the ruler of the Fire Nation after all he's done and after the crimes of his forefathers? Well, I will no longer stand around and be bullied while others decide the fate of _my_ people. My chief advisor, the Fire Nation, they've all made a fool out of me, and I will no longer allow my people to feel the same way. So if you're not going to remove the colonies yourself, then I'll remove them by force!" King Kuei declared.

"Sir, you don't understand, this has nothing to do with you looking like a fool; this is about the lives of both of our people, and how we should go about to make their lives better! Removing the older colonies will not be the answer." Zuko told him.

"Fire Lord Zuko, I'm willing to force those colonies out. Your citizens belong in the Fire Nation where they will no longer torment the Earth Kingdom, and my decision is final. I'll start with the removal of Yu Dao when my army is ready!"

With a heavy heart, Zuko sighed and told him: "Then I will see you on the battlefield."

The rulers parted ways, ignoring Aang's pleas to stick around and talk everything out, but there was no reasoning with the Earth King, and with the Earth King being unreasonable then for Zuko to try and reason with him would be nothing but a waste of time.

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Back on the ship, Katara and the Children of Raava went into Aang's room, the Avatar was trying to contemplate the state of things when Katara asked: "Sweetie, what happened at the palace?"

"The King doesn't know what he's getting himself into. He wouldn't listen to reason when Zuko stated that he wished to leave the colonies to stand."

"Oh dear, what are we going to do?" Katara asked.

"The King's already decided, he's declaring war on the Fire Nation over the colonies!"

"What about Fire Lord Zuko?" Jade asked.

"He'll be fighting to defend his people!" Aang replied.

"What about us?" Narrik questioned. Aang got to his feet, looked over the Children of Raava, and told them: "As the Children of Raava what you do now is entirely up to you. You are not bound to Fire Lord Zuko's rule, and so it is up to you to decide where you wish to lend your support. Will you fight along your brother Zuko's side? Will stand with the Earth King? Will you take no side but treat their wounded? Or will you figure out another path? The choice is yours."

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Sokka went to see Zuko and found him stooped over his desk as he wrote some letters.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked. Zuko looked his way and turned to tell him: "I'm glad you're here, I could use your assistance."

"Okay, so what will that be?"

"The Earth King wants _none_ of the colonies to stay and is willing to drive them out by force. I need to hurry to protect the people of _both_ nations before the King's army strikes. Here, take this letter to Mayor Morishita, it's a warning of the King's plan, and you can help them rally a resistance maybe have them put up some defenses. Ask Aang if you could borrow Appa to get there."

'Sure thing, but what are you going to do?" Sokka asked.

"I need to get my army involved, so I'm sending out another letter to my general to let them know to get things ready." Zuko replied.

"What about your and Aang's club of super-benders? Can't you just use them?"

"No, the Children of Raava are no one's soldiers. They're to fight for those they believe are worth fighting for. They're to act as another Avatar when the actual Avatar can't be there for others. Now you need to get going Sokka."

"Of course, I'll see you there." He replied. He took the letter and found Aang kissing faces with Katara, after pulling a disgusted face he explained that he needed to borrow Appa to send a warning to Yu Dao, and Aang let him.

Just as Sokka was taking off, a messenger hawk took flight with a letter for the Fire Nation Army.

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 **AUTHOR'S QUESTION: In comparison to the TV show, what do you guys think of this story, and what has been your favorite part so far?**


	30. Chapter 30: Path

**XXX: Path**

The mayor of Yu Dao immediately called upon his people to start fortifying their city, and quickly had Sokka take charge of putting up their defenses with Toph as his right hand woman to help him out.

"Alright Toph, I need the Earthbenders to put up walls around the city and further defenses. Do you think that you can also crate a moat around the city and also raise the city higher? We need Yu Dao to be inaccessible!" Sokka stated.

Toph cracked her knuckles and set to work, ordering others around. With the help of the other Earthbenders, they were able to fulfill Sokka's requests, and before the wall, they bent the earth to form pillars and shelters for the Firebending residents to take cover when invaders started to attack.

As the Earthbenders kept working, Sokka wrote a reply to Zuko, to tell him that the city of Yu Dao had undergone fortifications and sent out a hawk. He then returned to the city and checked up on any of the nonbenders to see how their defensive skills shaped up.

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Back on the ship heading over to the Fire Nation, the Children of Raava were contemplating where they should set their loyalties.

"I don't think that we should support Zuko with a full heart." Narrik stated.

"How can you say that? He's a brother and the Fire Lord!" Jade questioned.

"Being the Fire Lord has nothing to do with us. Zuko and his friends have stated that as the Children of Raava we belong to no nation. We are to act as a second Avatar, and help maintain balance. I agree with both Narrik and Jade, I don't think that we should support Zuko's army, but he is a brother, and so I don't want to be completely against him either." The eldest member stated, he was a Fire Nation citizen.

"How do you propose that?" Jade asked.

"I think that we should support Yu Dao. We need to protect the people there from the crossfire, and because the Airbender philosophy is completely against violence, I think that we do whatever we can to keep one army from hurting the other." The eldest told them.

"So, we're to put ourselves between two armies?" A Waterbender questioned.

"If you're concerned about your own safety, then you've joined the wrong club." Zhu Lin told her.

"Are we decided then?" The eldest asked.

"I've decided! I like your idea!" Jade announced, her eyes flashed Dragon State gold.

"I'll second that." Zhu Lin added, and Narrik raised his hand in favor too.

"Waterbenders, do you think that you can take us back to Yu Dao?" The eldest asked.

"Ha we can make boats of ice and bend the ocean to our will." Narrik replied, and so it was decided, and the Children of Raava went above deck, ready to head back to Yu Dao; but they didn't get off the boat before getting spotted by Zuko. The Fire Lord approached them and asked: "What's going on, what are you doing?"

Zhu Lin looked him in the eyes and told him: "We won't be fighting at your side for Yu Dao."

That was all she said. Zuko had no arguments with her, he merely asked: "Are you sure that you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, Fire Lord." Zhu Lin replied. The Waterbenders descended, made the boats of ice, assisted their brothers and sisters down, and they commanded the ocean to bring them back towards Yu Dao.

Zuko told Katara and Aang that the Children of Raava had left to take their own paths now.

When they docked, Zuko hurried off to meet up with his general and prepare for the trip back to Yu Dao.

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 **Okay, short chapter… but hey, thanks to you guys, this story is now up to over 100 followers!**

 **Please review!**


	31. Chapter 31: Yu Dao

**XXXI: Yu Dao**

The Earth King and Fire Lord were moving towards the city of Yu Dao, but the Children of Raava had made it there before the armies had arrived and were there to tell Sokka and the Mayor their plans. They camped among the defensive barriers, the people of the city brought them food, and they trained.

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Zuko oversaw his army preparing for departure, when a low, slimy, voice spoke to him: "You've hardly been Fire Lord for two months and already you're sending out your armies."

Zuko turned and saw that the person speaking to him was Ozai, he wore a baggy and faded custodian's suit while holding a mop. He looked a pathetic sight.

"The Earth King has lost his mind, I've tried to reason with him that the Fire Nation colonies should remain. I'm fighting to protect the people of both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation." Zuko replied.

"I take it that the Earth King will be showing up with his forces too." Ozai stated.

"Unless I'm willing to give all power of the colonies to him, we'll have to fight for the people of both nations. If these colonies can live in harmony with people of any nation, then I believe that something new can come out of this."

"Now what might that be?" Ozai questioned in his slimy voice.

"I'll have to find out for myself… Now you, get back to your mopping." Zuko replied and he went down to board a ship.

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After a couple of nights of camping out among the defensive barriers of Yu Dao, the Children of Raava caught wind of the Earth Kingdom army approaching, as did Mayor Morishita. His daughter, Kori, had been advancing in Toph's Metalbending classes, but only knew a few basics, no one in Toph's classes were as proficient as she was, and though Toph liked to teach, she was a bit proud that she remained the greatest Metalbender!

So they had taken their positions to defend their home for when the Earth Army arrived.

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The night before they were to reach Yu Dao, Zuko slept and Lux had come to speak with him in his dream.

"You're worried now, aren't you?" Lux spoke.

"I know that I won't become my father after this battle, but I've killed with my bending before, I don't want to have to do it again."

"We teamed up against Azula, along with Katara and Kaimana, why should this be any different?"

"Then we were trying to conquer the throne of the Fire Nation, now we're trying to protect the peace of a city. I don't want to rule over it, and I don't want King Kuei to rule over it either. Yu Dao knows the best way to rule their city, and that's how it should be." Zuko replied.

"I do quite like this idea, and I'll be at your beck and call if the need arises." Lux stated.

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Earth King Kuei, standing at General How's side in a hot air balloon stood and looked on approvingly as How announced that the Earth Kingdom was seizing Yu Dao and so _all_ Fire Nation citizens would have to either pack up and leave, or be taken in as prisoners.

The Children of Raava and the Yu Dao resistance stood guard, and so King Kuei told General How to make the attack.

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The thunderous sounds of Earthbending echoed throughout the area, and so Zuko hurried his army, and called out: "The Earth King is already there! Hurry, before his army wipes out Yu Dao!

Katara and Aang had been marching at his side, while he rode astride a komodo rhino, that was at his general's insistence. He looked over to his friends and sent them on ahead. Aang opened up his glider and took Katara for a flight, there they found the Children of Raava teamed up with the Yu Dao resistance. Aang dropped Katara off into a safer spot among the defensive barriers.

In position, Katara pulled water from her skins and the air and bent them to form a ring of tentacles. She would take up Earthbenders and toss them to the side or into their comrades, to move her position, she would take a deep breath and then encase herself in the water and maneuver over to her new spot.

Aang and the Children of Raava teamed up to just drive back the advancing army, while the Yu Dao resistance attacked anyone that got past Katara.

Zuko's army showed up half an hour later a large stream of fire shot between the Yu Dao forces and the Earthen Army, everyone jumped back as Zuko steered his rhino between the two armies, he ordered his army to protect Yu Dao and turned to Earth King Kuei and called out: "King Kuei, take your army and leave these lands! You have no idea what you're about to destroy if you keep going down this path!"

"You have no power over these lands, Fire Lord Zuko! Retreat with all Fire Nation citizens and we shall reclaim what you ancestors unjustly stole from us!" General How ordered.

"King Kuei, I've no doubt in my mind that you feel weakened in your position, but now is not the time to prove that you're man enough to lead your nation! As I've told you before, I do not wish to rule over Yu Dao, a place this unique to the world should be left to govern itself!" Zuko called out. Still, the king would not listen, allowing all forces to suffer burns and broken bones. Zuko felt Lux preparing to attack within him.

 _No, Lux, I need to resolve this with peace. With further force, how would I be any better than my father?_

He looked behind his shoulder for a moment in time to see Jade get struck by a rock the size of a standard kickball. It hit her upper arm and knocked her to the ground, the other Children of Raava were quick to assist her. A Waterbender took her off the field for a healing session.

Zhu Lin and Narrik had even triggered their alternate spirits, drawing a great amount of power to further fortify Yu Dao and to drive back the king's forces.

It actually hurt Zuko to see all these people fighting, just because one stubborn king was, essentially, feeling emasculated against a teenaged head-of-state, and so refused to give up the fight. The Earth army made a move to attack Zuko himself, but he dismounted and rode a bolt of lightning to teleport over to Katara and he told her: "I need you to get up to the king's balloon and show him the city. Make him understand that our peoples live in harmony here!"

She nodded and made her way up to Aang and told him to meet her inside the city. Aang took flight on his glider and claimed a spot before the townsfolk to wait for Katara's arrival. She made her way to the balloon by rising up on a pillar of ice, and she found the king trembling in the balloon's basket, fearful of the dangers that raged on below, even though Zuko saw fit to actually fight alongside his own army.

She explained to the king that he must see the city, and he told her that it just wasn't safe beyond the balloon.

"You're right, King Kuei, but we must brave it. You need to see, you need to understand." Katara told him. She took his hand and took him over the battle and into the city. There the king saw the pleading eyes of those who would have to live with the decision the fight outside determined. Katara introduced the Fire Nation mayor and his Earth Kingdom wife and the king now saw that if the fight ended in his favor, he would break apart this family. Aang took the time to explain to the king that with this fight the king was standing against the harmony between _all_ nations, the world was a new thing now and what was taking place here could be the start of a whole new nation, one that could accept and welcome the people of _every_ nation!

The king turned to Aang and Katara and told them: "Bring the Fire Lord here, I wish to withdraw my army."

Aang took flight again and entered the Avatar State to use his booming legion of voices: "END THIS FIGHT NOW, THE EARTH KING WISHES TO WITHDRAW HIS ARMY!" His voice echoed through the valley. The people stopped fighting and the fortifications surrounding Yu Dao were steadily disappearing.

Aang told Zuko that the Earth King wished to speak with him, and Zuko rode a bolt of lightning back into the city where he faced the Earth King.

"It seems that I owe a great deal to you, Fire Lord Zuko, I was a fool to take the stand I've made and I've failed to see the potential of a place like this. You were right, Yu Dao must become something new, and so if you're willing to let go of your power over these old colonies, then I agree to relinquish the Earth Kingdom rights their lands and allow them to become something new."

"Thank you… Now please, take this day to explore the city, and later we shall discuss what we can turn this place into. We'll need to call for a summit." Zuko replied.

King Kuei agreed and sealed matters with a handshake before heading off to explore the city.

Aang looked over to Zuko and told him: "Jade and several others are being treated for their wounds, but nobody was killed. Zuko, I'm glad that you wanted to resolve these matters as peacefully as you could. You had the means and power to just lay waste to the Earth Kingdom army, but all you did was make sure to simply protect these people."

"I may've restored my own honor, Aang, but the honor of a nation is an even harder thing to maintain. I haven't been at peace with myself or my nation in years, and I'm still working to achieve that; but I'll do whatever I can to be sure that I won't become my father." Zuko replied.

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 **Soon we will be entering 'The Search' plot! Would you guys like me to make any specific adjustments to that story? Please let me know if you do!**


	32. Chapter 32: Matters at State

**XXXII: Matters at State**

A meeting was held to discuss matters of the old Fire Nation colonies. Zuko had already retracted all of Ozai's colonies. King Kuei and Zuko were now in an agreement that these colonies no longer belonged to the Earth or Fire nations, and so they were ready to declare it a whole separate nation with its own head of state. The question was how?

They attended a meeting, where they began listening to this one man lecturing about the past. Being boys, Sokka and Aang readily tuned him out, Katara actually could stand listening to him, but Zuko was almost as bad as the Avatar. He tried to listen, he really did, but his voice went from: "Blah, blah, blah, fate of a nation deeprners grrrmmm, blah, blah, blah."

Then:

"Blah, blah, blah, _family_ , blah, blah, blah."

Zuko's attention snapped back and he politely requested the man to repeat himself.

"I suppose a teenager is still a teenager, apparently, even if he is head of state." The lecturer spoke as he stroked his beard; he then elaborated: "I was explaining, Fire Lord Zuko, an ancient Earth Kingdom philosophy: Family is in essence a small nation, and the nation a large family; in treating his own family with dignity, a ruler learns to govern his nation with dignity."

Zuko lowered his head, not to go unnoticed by Aang, Sokka, and Katara.

"Hey, what's on your mind?" Aang asked in a whisper.

"I've imprisoned my father and stripped him of his title, and put my sister in a mental hospital. What will that mean for my nation?"

Sokka whispered that the guy was a blow hard, and not to look too deeply into it. Still, even after they left the meeting, Zuko was still thinking about the professor's speech. He had striped his father of everything he had, and Azula was locked up in a mental institution. Although he had found a certain inner peace within himself, he still feared that there was some of the monster of his forefathers resided within him. At least Iroh's a good man, and he remembered his mother fondly… but where was she?

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No more waiting, no more mystery, and no more secrets. Zuko had his sister brought to the prison to see Ozai in his cell. He allowed them to sit alone for a while, but his Kyoshi warrior guards told him that after an hour they've not spoken a word.

"Not even a whisper, Suki?" Zuko asked.

"With how quiet it is in this hall, we would've heard a whisper. No, the only thing they've done is look at each other, but sometimes Azula's tried to spot Ty Lee through the walls." She replied.

"Even in a straightjacket, unable to run, and unable to bend, she's still scary." Ty Lee stated.

"I can handle Azula, but if they're not going to talk, I'll just have to talk to them to get my answers… I want them to have a little dignity in this meeting, it's the first time they've seen each other since Sozin's comet, Ty Lee, would you mind bringing some tea and some food while I have Suki adjust Azula's restraints?"

"Gladly!" Ty Lee replied and she took off for the kitchen.

Suki went inside to adjust Azula, she freed one hand but put a chain linking her arm to her belt, giving her enough room to feed herself, but restricted her so she couldn't bend.

Ty Lee returned with a pot of tea and some food, Zuko accepted her tray and stepped inside, glancing at his father and his crazed sister allowed for his eyes to flash their glow for a second, it wasn't his intention, but it reminded them of the power he possessed.

Zuko handed out the tea and bowls, and sat down: "I thought that we could have a small lunch with a little dignity.

"Why are you here?" Ozai spoke.

"I know what you've done to get the throne, you yourself said that mother helped you to get it, and then you banished her… So, I believe that Azula and I deserve to know where she is."

"Hahaha, and what makes you think that I'll answer to you? After all _Fire Lord_ Zuko, you've striped the world of _everything_ I've ever claimed, my title, my colonies…"

"Enough! I was willing to offer you a piece of land. A comfortable house with land that you could do with what you wished, and allowed you to make an honest living and earn back your dignity; a place where you may be able to find inner peace, but still under guard. I remember a time, although it feels like a lifetime ago, where this was once a happy family; now, look at what's become of my face, look at what's become of Azula's mind! I don't think that you were born evil, I think that the thirst for power your father and grandfather had got to you too, and it's poisoned this family."

"Well I didn't send her to any place in particular. She was simply banished from the capital."

In the end, Ozai spoke in a riddle to give a hint as to where their mother may be, and Azula had it figured out rather quickly, but that was because she knew of all the secret passageways in the palace.

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Zuko had Azula spend the night in the palace, a break from the institution, but she broke loose from her restraints and bolted inside! Zuko ran after her, his eyes flickering, Lux's spirit giving him a boost in speed.

He caught up to her in time to watch her fire at an emblem on the wall to open a secret door, he ran into the room with her as she lunged for a trunk against the wall.

"GET BACK, ZUZU, OR IT'S SCORCHED!" Azula shouted.

"Azula, whatever is in that box is something that you need as much as I do. For once can we put our differences aside and look inside it together?"

 _Listen to him, Azula, he means well!_ Ursa's voice spoke.

 _He's already taken the throne from me! I've got to hold onto everything I've got left, mother!_

 _Azula, being the Fire Lord is not your destiny, the throne belongs to Zuko._

With her mind distracted Zuko had already gotten inside the chest.

"Letters, written by mother?" He spoke. He looked through one written to his grandparents, wondering why these weren't sent and moreover, there were no replies at all! Whatever this trunk was, Zuko doubted that it belonged to his mother. No doubt that Ozai had something to do with this. However, the letters revealed the location of where his grandparents lived; a small village of Hira'a

Azula plucked one letter, again it had a mention of Hira'a, but it also had a strange man's name. Ursa's father was the Magistrate Jinzuk, but this had mention of a man named Ikem, and among the words to Ikem was the phrase 'our son'.

"Well, we at least have a place to begin the search for mother." Zuko stated. He had Azula escorted to a room, once he knew for certain didn't have a secret passage or any other means of escape, and she was kept under guard.

In the meantime, Zuko sent a hawk to Aang, Sokka, and Katara bearing a letter to tell them of the adventure he was planning, and why having them along would prove to be of use.

With that done, he wandered the palace for a while, when he happened to meet up with Mai. He had given her a permanent invitation to the palace since his coronation.

"You've been busy." She spoke. Zuko elaborated the events leading up to the fight at Yu Dao, and his plans for a journey to Hira'a.

"Wow, it would've been interesting to've been more involved in these events." Mai spoke in her usual dull tone.

"I'm sorry I haven't been spending much time with you, but would an invitation to go to Hira'a help to make things up to you?" Zuko asked.

"I'll sleep on that." Mai replied with a small upturn of her lips, and Zuko gave her a room with one of the loveliest views to stay for the night.

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 **So, should Mai go or no?**

 **Please review.**


	33. Chapter 33: The Search

**XXXIII: The Search**

Aang arrived with Sokka and Katara on Appa to find Azula standing at Zuko's side, her only restraints being a belt with chains that attached to her wrists.

Sokka and Aang pulled Zuko aside and asked him if he was certain that they should be bringing her along. Then to their surprise, Mai appeared in casual travel clothes, showing no fear in the presence of Azula. Then again, Azula had restraints, and Mai had her throwing knives.

Everyone climbed aboard Appa's saddle, wary of Azula, but trying to keep relaxed as Appa took off.

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The ride was quiet for the most part, but Azula's eyes made everyone uneasy: was she plotting something, or was she in her own little world? It was nearly impossible to tell; and the current seating situation didn't sit too well with Mai. Zuko claimed responsibility for his sister, and so he sat next to her, while Mai was at his other side. The lingering tension made for a long and tiring flight, but to try and keep the mood calm, everyone took their turns to share stories, while also not trying to trigger Azula; her eyes maintained a wild look.

At the point when the sun was starting to get low, Zuko spoke up: "I think that's Hira'a up ahead, if we can't get there before sundown we should make camp, I don't' want to enter town at night like a gang of bandits."

"Good point, hey Aang – AAHH! What, it's not enough that we already have one passenger who stares at us with crazy eyes!" Sokka exclaimed. Aang told them that he felt a strong spiritual presence, especially in his face, making his eyebrows and eyes hold a crazy.

"Now that you mention it, I feel it too, that's why I'm doing this." Sokka told him, pulling a weird face while holding his eyes wide open. Katara threw a snowball at his face and told him to knock it off.

"If you peasants are just going to bicker, then I see no point in staying around." Azula told them, getting to her feet.

"That won't be necessary; now sit down, Azula, they've already blown off their steam." Mai told her.

"NOW WHO ARE YOU TO GIVE _ME_ ORDERS!? HOW DID _SHE_ GET YOU TO LOSE YOUR FEAR OF ME?!" Azula snarled. Sokka and Zuko teamed up to wrestle her back down again.

"It wasn't that I lost my fear of you, it was that I favor Zuko over you." Mai spoke in her dry voice.

"Whoa, check out that giant wolf spirit!"

Looking down, they spotted a giant blue spirit wolf with markings on her chest that resembled the face that Aang was pulling.

Aang flew Appa in a position to try and speak to the wolf spirit, but the wolf paid him no heed and ran off so fast that the wolf pretty much vanished before their eyes!

The wolf distraction left Team Avatar without enough daylight to reach the town, and so they set to make camp.

"You expect me to sleep in these chains?" Azula snarled."

"If you could relax, I'd consider taking them off," Zuko told her, keeping his voice steady and calm. She sat down, and Team Avatar dug into their bags for a snack before turning in for the night.

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In the dead of the night, Azula awoke and stealthily searched for the keys to her chains in her brother's bag, but didn't find them, so she searched the other bags and fond them in Mai's. She unlocked them and ran off in the direction of the town. She leapt over a stream when she heard her mother's voice:

"You're only hurting yourself, my daughter."

"Don't pretend to care about me! You thought that you could break me, didn't you, by having Zuko lock me up in that institution?! Well I'm stronger than you realize! I used all that time alone to figure out the truth! You've been conspiring to take me down from the day I was born! Even when I was an infant, you saw something in me that you've never had: POWER! That's what makes you think I'm a monster! That's what makes you fear me!"

"No, you're confused." Ursa replied.

"I still haven't figured out all the details. How did you contact Mai, Ty Lee, and Zuko after you disappeared, and how did you that snow peasant Katara involved?! How did you teach Zuko to obtain abilities no Firebender has ever had?! Luckily, father was able to fend off your conniving to lead me to _THIS!_ " Azula snapped, whipping out a letter from her boot: "Now I have the evidence I need to take the throne from Zuko; but I can't become the Fire Lord with you constantly conspiring to undo me!

That's why I'm going to find you, Mother, and END YOU!"

"I love you, Azula, I do." Ursa spoke gently.

"AARRGH! This – This must be the most treacherous thing you've ever done to me! You've turned my own mind against me!" Azula shouted, and with a flash of rage, she sent a spark of lightning into the stream, banishing the reflection of her mother. She turned to continue her way to Hira'a, when she came face-to-face with the giant wolf spirit!

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Back at camp, everyone else woke to the sounds of something roaring, someone shouted, and fiery explosions! Sokka woke with a shout and made a quick grab for his space sword and boomerang while everyone else shook themselves awake.

"Azula's missing!" Zuko exclaimed, and he promptly took off running in the direction of the disturbance with everyone else behind him.

They found Azula trying to fend off the wolf spirit, but it dodged her lightning and swallowed her fire, it even burped at one point.

"Everyone, please! The spirit must be here for a reason! Just fall back and let me try to communicate, respectfully, with it!" Aang pleaded, but the spirit turned and tried to snap off Sokka's head with a bite! He noticed that there were markings on the spirit's belly that looked like a face, the same glare he wore earlier, but the fight was still going on, and now Appa had joined in to save his companions.

"Appa, please go easy on him, we just want a safe passage to Hira'a!" Aang called out

They engaged in a wrestling match until Appa fanned the wolf away into a great boulder. While Sokka cheered for the Sky Bison, Aang, Zuko, and Katara cringed, and Zuko stepped in front of Mai as the wolf got back up and shook the crash off. Aang ran over to check on the spirit, but then it spewed out a swarm of moth wasps!

"Okay, you are the grossest sprit ever!" Sokka shouted.

As the moth wasps swarmed around Team Avatar, Azula struck her lightning away from the group, driving the insects and the wolf to follow away after it.

"You're welcome," Azula spoke.

" _You're welcome?! YOU'RE WELCOME?!_ It was because _you_ left the camp that we had to get in that fight! If anything, _you_ should be thanking us for coming to help you!" Sokka shouted.

"I'll admit that even I was in a tight spot for a moment there, but it appears that I had my own solution all along… Well, now that we've all calmed down, perhaps we should set up camp again." Azula spoke in a slimy, high-horse-ostrich tone.

"I'd like to throw my boomerang at her head." Sokka grumbled.

"Do that and you'd get fried." Zuko told him flatly.

When they returned to the new camp, Sokka and Zuko sat up for a while, Sokka had a leftover moth-wasp taste in his mouth and was drinking water like crazy to get rid of it, and Zuko was watching over the camp. Azula was asleep, but shivering, and muttering about her own mind being turned against her.

"After what she's done, are you really not going to put the chains back on her?" Sokka asked Zuko.

"She can't hurt us if she's asleep, and I'm thinking that they may not be doing her any good, perhaps being free from binds will keep her more relaxed. Also, I don't want her to go to town wearing chains like a fugitive."

"You're sure?"

"No, but now I'm gong to give her a chance. If she starts to fight us, I can put her in her place, but she did save us from the moth wasps rather than turning and running away to leave us to fend for ourselves."

Sokka sighed and spoke: "Zuko, I trust you enough to follow you into battle, but I don't know if I should trust your judgment with your sister."

"It does rely a lot on her."

Sokka gave him a nod, and then felt a shiver: "Hmm, it's a little cold out here tonight, isn't it?"

"I thought you Water Tribe folk love the cold." Zuko spoke.

"Yeah, maybe we've been away from home for too long." Sokka replied, he got up and pulled out a blanket, draping over Katara while she kept on sleeping with Momo cuddled up to her.

"Even after all of those snowballs you still look out for her."

"I throw witticisms at her, she throws snowballs at me. The relationship works."

"You seem to be getting the short end of that deal." Zuko stated.

"With all that she's done for us, when it comes to Katara, I don't mind that at all."

"Hmm… Hey, do you have any more of those blankets?" Zuko asked. Sokka got up and brought him another blanket and told him: "I need to go-" as he pointed to the trees.

"Thanks for the blanket." Zuko replied. He went over to drape it over Azula, but then spotted a letter sticking out of her boot. Curious, he took it from her and opened it. He found that his mother wrote it, but even more shocking was what it said:

 _My Dearest Ikem,_

 _It's taken me a long time to admit it, but you were right; I belong with you and nothing is worth this pain._

 _My one consolation is_ _ **our son**_ _, Zuko. When I look into his eyes, it's as if I'm looking into yours._

 _My thoughts are with you always._

 _Love, Ursa_

Zuko read the letter repeatedly: " _our son"_ could it be true? Could he really not be the son of a man so wicked as Ozai? Just who was this Ikem? Such a question demanded an answer!

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 **I'll have to cut it off there. I do apologize for that hiatus, but it'll be nice to hear from you again. Tell me, how can I make the plot to 'The Search' even more awesome?**

 **Please review.**


	34. Chapter 34: The Village of Hira'a

**XXXIV: The Village of Hira'a**

"Azula."

Azula woke with a start to find her mother kneeling at her side, and with a gasp, she asked her: "How did you get the jump on me?!"

"Give up this futile quest, my daughter. Go home, the throne is Zuko's destiny, yours lies elsewhere." Ursa replied.

Azula got to her feet and advanced on her: "I should consider myself lucky, you've spared me the trouble of finding you!"

"All your life, you've hidden behind a mask of intimidation and fear."

"Prepare to meet your doom!" Azula snapped, prepared for a lightning strike.

"Take off your mask, only then will you see the beauty of your true destiny." Ursa spoke gently.

"N-N-No… Why must you fill my head with lies?! THE THRONE IS MY DESTINY!" Azula shouted, and she struck out with her lightning, but then she pulled herself back and questioned herself weakly: "Isn't it? I mean I-I have…"

∫ µ ∫

"I HAVE PROOF!" Azula woke up with a start and snatched Katara's arm.

"Whoa!" Katara exclaimed. Sokka, trying to pack up the camp dropped his things and whipped out his boomerang, and Mai a couple of her throwing knives. Sokka threw his boomerang, but Azula blocked it, but she let Katara go.

"You okay?" Mai asked Katara, her voice was dry, and emotionless.

"I'm fine, she just caught me by surprise." Katara replied. She kept her guard up as Azula muttered to herself, and then she searched her boot: "The letter! It's gone!" She got to her feet, holding two plumes of flames like daggers: "Where, is Zuko?"

Katara, Sokka, and Mai stood their ground and did not answer, and so Azula lashed out and engaged in a one-to-three battle.

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Aang and Zuko were sitting together at the edge of a cliff with Aang looking at Ursa's letter: "I can't believe it."

"I'm not his son. It makes so sense of so much of my life! That's why Ozai was able to banish me without a second thought!"

"The it would've been so easy to just get rid of you permanently." Aang replied.

"Yes, he had that option when he asked for Uncle Iroh's birthright, but mother must've stopped him. About the same time she left, my grandfather, Azulon, passed away… Perhaps challenging me to that Agni Kai was his way of seizing an opportunity to get rid of me while also sparing my life."

"Zuko, I'm not sure about this. Something doesn't seem right, this shouldn't be right."

"Why? All night I've had this odd sense of… Hope."

" _Hope?!_ What are you talking about, if you're not Ozai's son, what does this mean for your reign? Who's the rightful Fire Lord?"

They heard a shout and saw a plume of blue flames shoot into the sky. Without a word they got to their feet and as Aang flew back to the camp on his glider with Zuko holding on to him by his foot, riding a bolt of lightning seemed a bit risky at that point.

When they reached the camp, they found Zula fighting against the others.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Azula snarled as she saw her brother land: "SHE TOLD YOU TO STEAL THAT LETTER OUT OF MY BOOT, DIDN'T SHE! GIVE IT BACK!" She stated exchanging blows with Zuko while everyone else ducked away and took cover: "SHE'S NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"What's she even talking about?" Sokka asked.

"She's gone completely insane! I saw her mind slip away from her during Sozin's comet." Katara replied.

"That explains everything." Sokka stated.

Katara worked on putting out the flames while Aang tried to break up Zuko and Azula, but there was no getting through to Azula. She leapt past him, but Zuko caught her foot and had her fall to the ground: "From the day you were born, you have put me through so much!" Zuko then picked her up by her shirt and snapped: "Why Azula?! Why did our relationship have to be like this?"

"WAS THIS HER PLAN ALL ALONG?! IS SHE WHISPERING IN YOUR EAR TO END ME NOW?!"

Zuko lowered her: "You're not making any sense."

"All my life she's kept me from my TRUE DESTINY! DON'T DENY IT, ZUKO! SHE TOLD YOU ABOUT THE LETTER IN MY BOOT! SHE TOLD YOU TO WAIT UNTIL I WAS ASLEEP TO – Wait a minute…" Her mind seemed to show some clarity: "You've had that letter all night, so why didn't burn it to ash when you had the chance? Tell me, dear brother, _why_?"

Zuko dropped her, and the others began emerging from their cover.

"It's almost like you want me to have it."

"Look we can spend the rest of the day – the rest of our _lives_ \- fighting; but it's not going to bring us any closer to mother. Azula, we need to work together, no more fighting until we get what we came here for, agreed?"

"Oh, Zuzu, are you actually on my side?"

Zuko cast her a glare; she looked between the group and then spoke: "Alright, no more fighting, but first, I want the letter back."

Zuko knew that she wasn't going to burn it, and so he passed it back to her. He turned to Appa and told the group: "Let's get going now."

They hopped back onto the bison and flew until they reached the edge of Hira'a, where Appa landed. To avoid being mobbed for being the Fire Lord and Avatar, Zuko put on a hood; Aang, Sokka, and Katara switched to Fire Nation clothes, and Aang put on a headband: "Avatar? What Avatar? I don't see an Avatar around here!" He jested.

"Aang, that disguise worked a lot better when you had hair." Katara stated.

"Yep, when you were our inside man, Zuko, and we were travelling the Fire Nation, we became masters of disguises!" Sokka declared, and he added: "With a little bison fur, TA DA! A convincing beard! It's a classic!"

Azula and Mai cringed and withdrew from him.

"Ew, get that away from me, you smell like a wet possum-pigeon!" Azula exclaimed. Sokka sneezed and the false beard flew off of him.

When they entered the town, they found a gathering by the stage where performers played out "Love Amongst Dragons" the dragon emperor was facing against a dark water spirit.

"Hmm, they're doing quite well." Mai stated. An old lady turned to her and spoke: "Yes, they are, the young man playing the Dragon Emperor is better than last year's fellow, and the choreography is top notch."

Zuko turned to Azula: "Remember when mother used to take us to watch the Ember Island Players perform this play? Afterwards on the beach, we would reenact this very scene. I don't know why I always had to be the dark water spirit though."

"Hmm, clearly I made for a better dragon emperor." Azula replied. She actually had a bit of a smile on her.

They stood back and watched the final kiss in the show, as the dragon emperor declared his love for a blue dragon. The crowd cheered and applauded before the play came to a close. People remarked about how well the play was done and began to disperse.

"Everyone's leaving, what do we do now?" Aang asked.

"Let me ask around." Zuko replied. He walked up to the old woman and an old man that he took to be her husband and asked them: "Excuse me, we're looking for information about a woman named Ursa. I believe that she lived here years ago."

"Ursa… Ursa… Wasn't she the magistrate's daughter?" The old man spoke.

"Oh yes, rumor has it what she…" The old woman started, but she was cut off when the actor playing the dark water spirit came up from behind them: "Excuse me." Sokka and Katara turned and were startled to see the masked man. He quickly took off his mask, revealing an angular face with a well-trimmed moustache and beard: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He approached Zuko and shook his hand: "My name is Noren. I'm the director of the Hira'a acting troupe. Ursa was once a member."

"Really?" Zuko spoke.

"That's right, she always wanted to play the dragon empress, but she never got the chance." The old woman recalled.

Noren turned his head back to Zuko and his companions, and told them: "We should find a quiet place away from the crowds. You're all welcome to my home; we'll share some tea and I'll tell you everything I know."

"It would be an honor, thank you." Zuko replied, bowing his head.

Noren led them to a small house where his wife, Noriko was cooking. Noriko was a sweet and gentle woman with a face as plain as could be, with her simple brown hairstyle and copper eyes. She welcomed all of them graciously and invited everyone to sit down. They also had a little girl, Kiyi, she was a little shy, but took some curiosity in Zuko.

"You have a lovely home, Noriko." Katara stated.

"How long have you been married?" Aang asked.

"It's been about five years now." Noriko replied.

"It must be nice." Katara spoke.

"It is, but you two are a little young to be thinking about marriage, aren't you?" Noriko told her, but then she saw Aang and Katara blush: "You know what, I take that all back. Love leads where love leads, regardless of age. Noren and I found each other late in life, but you two young lovers are lucky."

At that point, little Kiyi stepped in to greet Zuko, Azula, and Mai: "Wanna meet my doll?"

"No." Azula said.

"Of course." Zuko told her.

"Her name is 'Kiyi'."

"Wait, I thought _your_ name was Kiyi?" Zuko questioned.

"It's such a good name that I used it twice!" She told him as she showed the simple doll wearing a pink dress, with brown button eyes, and a bad haircut.

"Little Kiyi has a very… interesting haircut." Mai stated.

"I tried to make her prettier, but it didn't turn out very good."

"My sister did stuff like that when she was little." Zuko told Kiyi.

"That's right, only I didn't give them _hair_ cuts, I gave…" Azula started, but Mai cut her off: "NOT another _word_!" She then turned and whispered to Zuko: "Since when are you so good with kids?"

"Ah, there was one in this family I helped out when I stayed in this one village when I was off on my own for a little while." Zuko replied. He then told her: "I just have a soft spot for them."

Noren and Sokka stepped in with trays and asked: "Kiyi, are you being hospitable with our guests?"

"I'm trying." She replied. Noren smiled to her and sat beside his wife: "Mind if I join the conversation, dear?"

"Oh, I'm just sharing advise about life and love." Noriko replied.

"Well you are Hira'a's foremost expert on those subjects."

"According to you!"

As Zuko and Sokka helped Noren to pass out tea and snacks, when Noren told them: "I must admit that I was a little suspicious when you asked about Ursa, but Sokka tells me that you're all drama historians."

"How wonderful! The Hira'a troupe deserves the recognition!" Noriko declared. Katara threw a look to her brother and whispered: "Drama historians, really?"

"Pretty good cover story, right? I just opened my mouth and there it was!" Sokka whispered back.

Noren then told the group: "Ursa, the woman you asked about, was probably the troupe's most famous member, but not for her acting. She was taken, years ago, to the capital city on some sort of official business. We're not supposed to talk about her anymore, but people can't help speculating."

"Supposedly she married into the royal family. This all happened before I was in town of course." Noriko added.

"What about a man named 'Ikem'?" Zuko asked. Noren's eyes caught a spark and he lowered his teacup: "You certainly have done your research! Ikem was an actor too, and was once Ursa's boyfriend, I believe. He disappeared shortly after Ursa left."

"Folks say he ran off into Forgetful Valley, a forest at the bottom of a canyon, just outside of town, where the heartbroken people go to forget their lives." Noriko added, she then looked more towards Noren, but her eyes were in the past: "I vaguely recall hearing that Ursa came back to look for Ikem, and then followed after him into Forgetful Valley."

"Now that can't be true, no one's seen or heard from Ursa since she was taken to the capital!" Noren told her.

Noriko sighed: "Well, if it is true, it's awfully romantic."

"Romantic or _tragic_? Forgetful Valley is a dark and dangerous place. No one who enters ever returns." Noren then turned to the group: "I'm afraid that's all I have to tell you, but I hope that I've helped you."

The group got to their feet and bowed, save for Azula.

"Noren, Noriko, you've been more than generous, and thank you for the information." Zuko told them.

"And for sharing your home with us." Katara added. Kiyi ran out a moment later up to Zuko and asked him: "You'll come back, right? Please, please, please!"

"I sure hope so, Kiyi." Zuko replied. He turned and followed after his sister and friends as they headed back to Appa.

"Ugh, more than once I was tempted to burn that place down! I resisted for you, Zuzu, I hope you appreciate it!"

"How could even _think_ that about such a lovely family!?" Katara exclaimed.

"We shouldn't have to appreciate you for acting the way you're supposed to!" Mai snapped.

Aang ran up to Zuko: "Listen, I know that this doesn't sound good, but I'm thinking that we better take your mother's letter and destroy it, and let us forget that we even heard about this Ikem."

"Aang, we need to focus on the task at hand, finding my mother. I promise you that I have no intention of stepping down. I joined your group and became your inside man because I wanted a reign of love and peace between the other nations, and I'm not going to give that up. My family was just so messed up; my father cruel, my sister is mentally unstable! It would be nice to be connected to the gentler side of my family to bring some balance back to us."

"Hey, can we keep this group together before something's on fire or encased in ice?" Sokka asked them.

"Alright, listen up! There's one more place to visit before we're done here; we're going into Forgetful Valley!" Zuko announced.

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 **Please review.**


	35. Chapter 35: Forgetful Valley

**XXXV: Forgetful Valley**

"Well, this is it, Forgetful Valley." Aang stated. They stood before a beautiful, but somewhat foreboding forest with brilliant plants flourishing.

"What did your Avatar powers tell you that?" Sokka asked.

"It says so on the sign." Aang replied, pointing to the wooden sign.

"Oh." Sokka stated, and then they stepped into the forest's limits. Silence lingered between them, for a few moments, the atmosphere becoming more unnerving, as the forest was truly wild, not even footpaths had been worn into the floor. Just before goosebumps formed on her skin, Katara asked: "So, where do we go from here?"

"I'm not sure, there's not even a clear path." Zuko replied.

"Come on, Zuzu! For a true Firebender, there's _always_ a way!" Azula declared, and with crazy eyes, she blasted away the plants with her Firebending.

"What are you doing!" Katara exclaimed.

"I suppose one of you imbeciles has a better idea on how to proceed?"

"ANY, idea is better than setting fire to the whole forest!" Katara snapped.

"What did I tell you the last time you did something like this? Oh yeah, NATURE HATES YOU!" Sokka told Azula. Mai reached into her sleeves and showed Zuko the shackles and told him: "I'll slap these on her the moment you give the order."

"Not now, Mai, c'mon we need to keep going." Zuko replied.

Team Avatar turned to find Aang sort of hunched over as he called out: "Uh, guys, I'm detecting something with my special Avatar powers again!" He turned to face them to reveal another funny face, one side was scrunched up, while the other was open wide, but both sides had a bit of a frown on him.

"Sweetie, not again with the faces." Katara spoke.

"No, no, I think Aang is onto something, if you look around close enough there's faces all over the place!" Sokka announced. He showed them a leaf and a squirrel-toad, pulling the same faces he saw on them, despite Katara's insistence that he cut it out and saying that he was being a jerk. Then he pointed out a flutter-bat that had markings that looked like the face Aang was making.

"Hold on Mr. Flutter-bat, I thing we're meant to be friends!" Aang called out and he started after the creature, despite Zuko's effort to keep him from running off, but that plea quickly fell on deaf ears as Aang was soon pursuing the flutter-bat into the treetops. He kept following after the creature until he found a beautiful pool of water that rested mirror flat and had formed in a perfect circle.

Aang looked down at it in awe and hopped from his branch to get a closer look, there was something spiritually tranquil about the beautiful pool. So rather than wanting to go for a swim with whatever creatures he might find living in it, he wanted to make sure that nothing touched it.

"AANG!" Katara called out.

"Over here!" He called back, and his friends, and Azula came running.

"Aang – Oh wow, I've never seen water this clear and still before." Katara stated.

"It's like a perfect pane of glass." Zuko added.

"How peaceful it is… It reminds me of Tui and La's pool from the North Pole… Be respectful, everyone, this is a very spiritual place." Aang told them; but as Azula looked into the pool, she found her mother staring back at her.

"You're going the wrong way, Azula, go back and find your true destiny." Ursa told her.

"YOU AGAIN! DON'T YOU EVER SHUT UP!" Azula snarled and she struck lightning into the pool, her face contorted in wrath.

"AZULA NO!" Zuko exclaimed.

"What did I just say about being respectful?!" Aang demanded.

"She told you to lead me here, didn't she?! SO SHE CAN KEEP TORMENTING ME WITH HER LIES!" Azula shouted blasting fire.

"That's enough!" Zuko snapped, blocking her flames and lighting up his eyes.

"You're right, Zuko, it is enough! We've tried to put up with her but she's too dangerous!" Katara called out, and before Zuko could get a word in, Mai and Azula got into their own little duel, which ended up with Azula getting bound to a tree and her shackles slapped back on!

At least that was what Mai was going for when suddenly two throwing stars flew by them, ended up getting planted in the trunk of a tree.

"Those are the prettiest throwing stars I've ever seen!" Aang remarked upon taking a closer look. The throwing stars were beautiful lotus flowers.

"It's like the forest itself is attacking us." Katara stated.

"Because nature hates her." Sokka added as he gestured to Azula.

"Heads up, more incoming!" Zuko called out, and they took up their defenses with bending and weapons, and during the chaos, Mai was finally able to shackle Azula, and managed to parry a flower throwing star with one of her knives. Another flower shattered on Sokka's club.

"I think I understand what's going on here; Sokka did you notice how that flower shattered on your club?" Katara spoke.

"Yeah?"

"It was like ice! Someone is bending the water in these plants!" Katara exclaimed, but then Sokka drew her attention to the vines above their heads as they started to attack as well. Mai and Sokka teamed up to slash at them while Zuko burned through them while Aang cut through them with his Airbending. Azula was left with whatever fire she could breathe or kick. Even amongst all the chaos, Katara managed to clear her mind and took control over the vines and declared: "Whoever you are, you're not the only one who can Waterbend! Show yourself!"

To her surprise an aging woman leading a masked man emerged from the foliage, wearing tattered clothes from the Northern Water Tribe. Things calmed down in an instant, and everyone sat together around the campfire while the aging woman explained herself: "I apologize for attacking ou earlier, my brother and I aren't used to seeing humans around here, we heard a commotion and thought some forest animal was disturbing the pool, it must remain undisturbed."

"That's what I told them, this is a very spiritual place!" Aang declared.

"That's right, Avatar, there are three other pools like this one, all must remain undisturbed." The woman replied.

"Misu, this stew is delicious, it reminds me of…" Sokka started

"The seaweed stew of the Northern Water Tribe?"

"That's right!" Sokka declared.

"Rafa and I make do with what we can find here." Misu replied with a gentle laugh.

"So, how did two people from the Northern Water Tribe end up in a Fire Nation Forest?" Katara asked. Misu took the opportunity to enlighten her with a story:

Growing up, Misu and Rafa were polar opposites, she was quiet and studious while Rafa was loud and brash, she lived by the rulebook, he lived to break the rules. Rafa was known for causing embarrassment to even the most elite members of the Northern Water Tribe, by sneaking off with their possessions, just to prove that he could do it. He would always return their belongings after he had his laugh, and he never really got in trouble for his actions…

… That is until the day his luck ran out.

Misu grew suspicious when Rafa didn't come home in time, and went off to seek him out, only to find that something happened to him that left his face horribly disfigured. The village healers did all they could, but to no avail. So she took to the libraries to seek out another way. She found it, but it would be quite the risky venture.

Before they could even leave the North Pole, she had to spend time practicing Waterbending techniques for fighting, since back then girls only used their Waterbending for healing – Katara interrupted there to let Misu know that things were different now.

Eventually they made it to this forest, and made it their home in the hopes that they would meet the spirit known as the Mother of Faces so that Rafa could finally be healed. A story that was years in the making, and it was a story fit for a ballad or a play. Only the end still had yet to be made. Ever since his accident, Rafa had been living in a state between life and death. He doesn't eat or do much of anything.

"So you've spent most of your life trying to heal your brother?" Aang asked.

"Of course, I'm his sister." Misu replied.

"Of course," Katara spoke taking a glance at her brother. However Zuko and Azula looked away from each other, there's was a relationship where maybe Zuko would try to help but not with such an extreme dedication, and Azula would've likely left him to die.

"Sorry to interrupt your story…"

"Azula, don't be rude!" Zuko hissed.

"… but we're on a mission to find a woman named Ursa."

"I'm sorry, we haven't seen her. The forest was quiet until you arrived." Misu replied. Zuko sighed a breath of both mourning and impatience.

"So, this spirit you're looking for, what's it look like?" Aang asked.

" _It_ is a _she_. I don't know what she looks like, but when she approaches, the forest tells us. Face-like patterns begin to manifest on the leaves on the trees, the wings of insects and the backs of animals." Misu replied.

"Hey, we saw that, so the spirit must be near!" Sokka declared.

"Then a giant wolf appears, bearing face-like markings on its comes to drink the water from one of the four pools."

"Hey, that's the wolf that puked moth-wasps at us!" Sokka exclaimed.

"So she will be coming soon… Rafa, our journey and wait may soon come to an end!" Misu stated.

Rafa said nothing and didn't move.

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 **Alright, my apologies for the hiatus, but don't worry, I'll make the final chapter worth your wait.**

 **Please review! Reviews are motivating!**


	36. Chapter 36: The Mother of Faces

**XXXVI: The Mother of Faces**

"There has to be something that I can do! After all, I'm the Avatar, I am…"

"The great bridge between the human and spirit worlds; we know, we know!" Sokka interrupted, Katara shot him a glare. Aang approached the pool and sat before it, telling his company that he was going to cross over into the spirit world to get the giant wolf to come to that particular pool.

"Bah! This is a waste of time!" Azula exclaimed she got to her feet and began walking away, Mai seized her chains and asked her: "Where do you think you're going?"

"We didn't travel all this way to help some dirty vagrants! We're here to find our mother!" Azula snapped and then she added inside her mind: _So that I may destroy her and ut an end to her treachery against me!_

"Azula!" Zuko barked. He stood up and told her in a more gentle tone: "Aang is the Avatar, helping others is what he does, and we're his friends… his team; so helping others is what we do too."

"Ha, no wonder you don't want to be Fire lord anymore, Zuzu! You'd rather gallivant around the world with your little friends saving poor people."

"I never said…" Zuko started, but then Azula's eyes went crazy again, she gasped and exclaimed: "Hold on, did she orchestrate all this?! I'm getting close, aren't I, MOTHER?! Is that why you sent these two vagrants?! To slow me down?!"

"What's wrong with her?" Misu asked.

"She's not in her right mind, been that way since the war ended." Mai explained in her usual dry tone.

"IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK!" Azula shouted, and she turned to Misu and Rafa, prepared to start bending at them, already tendrils of smoke and steam seeped out of her mouth: "YOU HEAR ME, MOTHER?! IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK!"

Katara, Mai, and Sokka prepared to defend Misu and Rafa.

"STOP AZULA!" Zuko shouted and he stood before her to block her attack. She _spat_ a bolt of lightning, but zuko caught it and redirected it into the sky with a KRRRACKA-BOOM!

"Did you forget, Azula? I know how to deal with your lightning!"

"Whoa, I think I might be scared of you again." Sokka stated, feeling a little shaky.

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Aang had reached the spirit world ending up in a forest with jack-o-lantern faces on the trunks of trees. He looked up to the branches and found a familiar creature.

"Mr. Flutter-bat, I knew we were meant to be friends!"

The flutter-bat splayed out his wings to reveal a smiling face on his belly, and through that mouth he spoke: "Come with me, I will show you what you want to see."

Aang rode astride the back of a now gigantic flutter-bat and took in the full view of the beautiful forest and the four beautiful pools. He then spotted the wolf spirit and leapt from the flutter-bat and landed before the wolf. After a little bit of effort, he coaxed the wolf to steer away from the pool she was headed towards and managed to hop on her back for a ride until the wolf sat before a great pool.

"Who dares ride my wolf as if she were a common beast of burden?" a voice asked.

"I'm the Avatar, wh-who are you?" Aang asked, he rubbed his eyes to clear his vision; the ride the wolf gave him wasn't very easy. He then saw a great spirit, looking like a hybrid of a woman and a tree, with several half-faces around her head, a crown of horns obscuring where eyes and foreheads should be. Speaking of trees, she was as tall as an ancient oak. Surrounding her there were astral faces, like those fit for masks and those fit for people to be born with.

"I am the Mother of Faces." She stated.

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"Misu and Rafa have nothing to do with our mother! How could you even think…?" Zuko began.

"BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE WANTS YOU TO BELIEVE! HOW CAN YOU BE SO NAÏVE?!" Azula exclaimed. She then breathed fire over her shackles until she broke free of them.

"You're right, I have been naïve… Take her down!" Zuko ordered.

"Gladly." Katara replied, and the fighting started.

"No, don't do this! You mustn't cause such a disturbance, the Avatar is trying to bring the spirit here!" Misu pleaded.

"She's right, stop!"

Everyone paused and turned to see that Aang had returned to his body.

"Aang, you're back!" Katara exclaimed.

"Whew, it's just you, I thought we were about to see another creepy face." Sokka stated.

"You mean like those?" Aang asked as he pointed to the pool, and the mask-faces had floated to the surface. Sokka let out a bit of a girlish shriek, and the company watched in awe as the pool continued to ripple and more faces appeared.

"Listen to Misu, everyone, we're about to have a visitor." Aang announced. Everyone gathered near the pool, but Katara froze Azula where she stood, she needed some form of restraint. A magnificent geyser then shot out of the pool as Mother of Faces surfaced. She was grand, majestic, and in the realm of the spirits she carried her special form of beauty.

"I am the Mother of Faces. Through me, separateness came into the world. Through me, came identity. The one became the many. I walk through my forest once a season, but never have I strayed from the path my wolf chooses for me. I do so now in deference to the Avatar, the great bridge between the spirits and the humans."

"See what did I tell you?" Aang whispered to Sokka.

"Yeah, yeah, great bridge guy, no one said you weren't." He replied.

"I am a generous spirit, softhearted and kind." The Mother of Faces added.

"Maybe she knows where my mother is." Zuko whispered.

"Spirits know a lot of things, you should definitely ask." Aang replied.

"Each season I grant one favor to one human, you may make your request now."

"Wait, just one?" Aang asked as he looked between Zuko and Misu.

"One." The Mother of Faces confirmed.

Zuko looked to Misu in sympathy, but then he had an idea.

"Um, the thing is… we, uh, kind of need two favors from you." Aang told the Mother of Faces.

"Humans like you often chase after me begging for new identities. The faces I create I put my heart into, and it saddens me to be told by an inferior being that my work is inadequate. So do not test my generosity, Avatar, one."

"Wait, Great Mother of Faces," Zuko began, lighting his eyes up so that she may see the spirit of Lux within him: "Since you see that we are inferior to you, then we shouldn't make the choice for you. Will you please hear both of our requests and see which one you find befits you the most?"

"A spirit born from the child of Raava? You are a reasonable human too. Very well I will hear both requests."

Zuko then told her: "I wish not for a new identity; I came for your knowledge, I wish to know the whereabouts of a woman named Ursa, once princess to the Fire Nation."

"If that is all you ask of me, then I believe that I will grant both requests." The Mother of Faces stated. The faces of Aang and Misu lit up with joy. Then the Mother of Faces held out her hand to reveal an image of Ursa: "I remember her well. I could not understand why a human of such beauty would ask for a new face. So to test her sincerity, I offered her one as plain as can be and she accepted."

"That's Noriko!" Zuko exclaimed. Azula then broke out of her icy bonds and with a face contorted with manic rage she announced: "Thank you so much for that, Mother of Faces! Now don't worry, Zuzu, I'll give her greetings from both of us!" She then made a run for it, shoving Rafa out of her way, knocking him to the ground and dislodging his mask from his face.

"No, his mask, he needs his mask!" Misu exclaimed.

"I need to go after Azula!" Zuko told his friends.

"I'll go with you." Sokka replied.

"Same here." Mai added. Misu took a quick moment to abandon her search for the mask and directed the trio to a shortcut to the village, thanking them for their kindness. Mai, Sokka, and Zuko ran off, but as Misu turned back towards the spirit pool, and Rafa, she heard Katara's scream, and saw her looking at her brother's nonexistent face!

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 **Yep, I think that's a good place to end it!**

 **Please review!**


	37. Chapter 37: What Happens to Azula

**XXXVII: What Happens to Azula**

"That's the work of Koh the Face Stealer!" Aang exclaimed, looking down at Rafa.

"What did you say, Avatar?" The Mother of Faces asked.

"Koh the Face Stealer! He's this spirit who looks kinda like a big ugly sow bug with a bunch of big ugly legs, and a bunch of ugly faces, he's…" Aang started.

"He is my son." The Mother of Faces interrupted.

"Wait, _Koh the Face Stealer_ is your son?" Aang asked.

"That's not the name I gave him, but yes."

"Heheh, did I say _'ugly',_ I meant, uh…"

"He's been estranged from me since the beginning of time. The legends say that he misses me so much that he spent all of history stealing faces. How do you know him, Avatar?" The Mother of Faces asked.

"We've met, and to tell you the truth, your son isn't the nicest of spirits. He took someone important away from one of my past lives; and yet my past life spared him." Aang replied.

The Mother of Faces turned to Rafa and enclosed a hand around his head, and she spoke: "I can feel his handiwork here. It's been so long since I've seen him." Her hand glowed and Misu and Katara watched in both curiosity and concern as the Mother of Faces worked her magic.

"What's going on? Is she hurting him?" Misu asked, worried. Rafa started moving, and then made some sounds; when the Mother of Face pulled her hand away, Rafa gasped and panted, life fully restored to him! Misu approached him and he turned to look at her with his deep blue eyes and he spoke: "Hey sis."

"Rafa!" Misu exclaimed, sheer joy in her voice, and the siblings came together in a tight embrace. Aang and Katara watched, happy for them.

"Thank you, Mother of Faces. I know that we humans can be aggravating, so often we're ungrateful for what we've been given. I hope that it wasn't too out of line for me to say that we needed two favors; but we needed your help to restore two relationships, one between a brother and sister, and another between a mother and son. Thank you for your help." Aang stated.

The Mother of Faces gave him a small smile and nodded to him, but then she stood up straight, her attention directed towards Hira'a, and she spoke again: "Don't thank me yet, I believe that I'll still be needed, this time by someone in the village."

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Zuko, Sokka, and Mai reached sight of Noriko and Noren's home, and Zuko breathed a sigh of relief: "Good she hasn't torched the place yet. Will the two of you watch over the house?"

"Of course." Sokka replied, drawing out his boomerang.

"Yes." Mai added.

They approached the house and Mai spoke: "It's too quiet here, you don't think that Azula's been in there and done something awful already, do you?"

"Just be alert. I'm going to look inside." Zuko told them. He then approached a window and looked inside.

"How's it look in there?" Sokka asked.

"They're fine, they're having dinner." Zuko replied. Sokka gave a sigh a relief and looked in with him: "So that's her, that's your mom?"

"That's her." Zuko confirmed.

"Well go on, go in, we'll keep watch for Azula." Mai told him. Zuko gave her a nod and rounded about to the door where Noren answered his knock. With his head bowed, Zuko spoke: "Noren, I know it's late, but I…"

"I had a feeling you would return." Noren replied.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked. Before Noren could answer, Kiyi gave a squeal and ran over to him, flinging her arms around his waist with enough force to knock Zuko back a step: "You came back! You came back because we're best friends!"

"Kiyi, it's good to see you again!" Zuko told her.

"Come eat dinner with us!" Kiyi told him.

"I don't know if…" Zuko started.

"No, please join us." Noren told him, and they sat Zuko down and set up a place setting for him. However, his mind didn't focus on his hunger, it was focused on Noriko's happy family as they just ate and talked, ever so peacefully. Then Noriko caught his gaze and spoke: "You haven't touched your food yet. Is something wrong?"

"Do you do this every night?" Zuko asked.

"Wait, eat dinner? Doesn't everybody eat dinner at night?" Kiyi asked.

"No, I mean eat dinner like this together." Zuko spoke.

"Yes, of course, that's why we're eating so late. I insisted that we wait until Noren came home." Noriko replied.

"I appreciate that, dear, rehearsal ran over."

"So what brings you back this way, are you looking for more information on the Hira'a acting troupe?" Noriko asked.

"No, I came to find…" Zuko started, but then he asked: "Tell me, Noriko, are you happy?"

"What an odd thing to ask."

"Just answer me, please." Zuko told her keeping his tone gentle.

"Well of course I am, I'm right where I belong." She replied. Zuko smiled, his mother was happy and healthy, but she no longer remembered him. How could he just come into her home and remind her of a life that was sure to've brought her great misery? He got up and told them: "I've bothered you folks long enough, thanks, and have a good evening."

"No, stop." Noren told him. Zuko halted and Noren turned to his wife and took her hand: "Noriko, I knew this moment would come sooner or later."

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Go ahead, young man; do what you came here to do. Tell her that you haven't forgotten who you are."

Zuko took a deep breath and turned to Noriko and told her: "My name is Zuko. I am Lord of the Fire Nation… and I am your son."

"When I saw you in the crowd, I recognized you immediately because of your scar. I had learned all I could about Ursa's life in the royal palace, knowing that it would come back to haunt us." Noren explained, he then got to his knees, bowing before Zuko and spoke: "Forgive me for not confessing the whole truth when you and your friends were here, Fire Lord. I had hoped that the information I gave you would satisfy you and hoped that it would be enough to protect my family."

" _Ursa?_ " Noriko questioned.

"That was your old name, my love, from your old life. You were once the princess of the Fire Nation where you had two children, one who grew up to be the Fire Lord."

"Mommy, what's Daddy talking about?" Kiyi asked, now being held in her mother's arms.

"You don't remember because a powerful spirit altered your memories." Noren told Noriko. He then looked up to Zuko and told him: "I also had an old name. I used to be Ikem."

A flash went through Zuko's mind, the letter Ursa wanted sent to Ikem, that he was _"our son"._ Could it really be true, that he was standing before _both_ of his parents? He wondered, but then he thought about what this new era could mean. He wanted so much for Ozai to not be his father, but if that was true, then what claim did he have to the throne? Power over the Fire Nation didn't exactly interest him, but he was interested in restoring his nation's honor, if Azula took the throne then there would be war all over again.

Perhaps he could ask?

"Noren, Ozai intercepted a letter from Ursa to be sent to you, in it she claimed that I was _your_ son."

"What?! No that's impossible! Ursa and I… We never… well not _before_!" Noren stammered. Then they heard a loud crash outside, and a rukus on the roof!

"Fire Lord, what's going on?!" Noren asked.

"Daddy, I'm scared!" Kiyi cried, clinging to her father.

"Stay here, I'll find out." Zuko told them.

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Sokka and Mai stood guard outside the house, watching the forest, all had been quiet for a while, to the point where they _hoped_ that Azula had lost her way. Sokka was imagining all the possible animals that could've eaten her, until he saw movement approaching the tree line.

"Get ready." Sokka told Mai.

"I've _been_ ready." She replied.

Azula emerged from the forest her face like that of a rabid wolf-bat, twisted in mania and bloodlust, her hair already in a bit of a mess. She prowled on over to the house, and eyed up Mai and Sokka as if they were prey.

"Get out of my way! My treacherous mother needs to pay for turning my mind against me!" She hissed.

"You're not getting anywhere near this family without a fight!" Sokka announced. Luckily those inside didn't hear that. Azula lunged for them while Mai threw her knives and Sokka nailed her in the head with his boomerang.

"Nice hit." Mai told him, but Azula was having a good stroke of luck in dodging her knives, although one cut her arm, and another sliced through one of the streaks of hair that she normally kept loose in front of her face.

"I'LL NOT LET YOU WIN! TRAITOR! I'LL NOT BE BEATEN BY THAT WATER PEASANT! I WON'T LET MY BROTHER REMAIN ON THE THRONE! I WON'T LET MY MOTHER LIVE AFTER HER TREACHERY!"

"She's really lost it this time!" Sokka exclaimed.

"It took you this long to figure it out? Go on and hit her with something!" Mai snapped, but Azula propelled herself onto the roof! Sokka and Mai leapt onto it and began their tussle, but then Azula started bending lightning, and then put it through the thatched roof of the house!

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"Oh no." Zuko spoke, as Azula came tumbling through the roof she punched through, bringing Sokka and Mai with her!

"Get out of my way!" Azula snapped, sending Zuko a blazing kick, knocking him aside! She then stood on the table and snarled to Noriko: "You! FINALLY! I can't tell you how long I've dreamed of this moment!"

Noren held Kiyi close to him and out of the way. He wanted to help, but how could he?

"Mommy!" Kiyi cried out, drawing Azula's attention. Luckily, in all her hostility, she didn't approach what she saw as a sniveling little brat; instead she turned her attention back to Noriko: "Tell me Mother, did you have a new daughter because your last one turned out to be such a monster?!" Her eyes were manic, her face twisted, her stance still proud and tall, her hair a true mess, lightning sparked from her fingertips, and patches of blue flames ignited around the house. Noren held Kiyi close to protect her.

Sokka got up and ordered her: "Stay back, Azula!"

"HA HA! Back for more _SNOW PEASANT?!_ Where's your _little toy?_ "

"Right there." Sokka replied, pointing. Azula turned and the boomerang nailed her in the face, right on her nose, giving her a good cut. Sokka caught the boomerang and called out: "Everybody scatter!"

Mai shoved Azula into a wall while the crazed princess was still reeling and nailed her arm to a wall with another knife in an effort to slow her down, and she ran after the family, Sokka, and Zuko.

It wasn't long before Azula recovered and freed herself.

"No more distractions!" Azula hissed to herself, and she began her pursuit, when she caught up to them, she launched herself into the air after Noriko: "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" She pinned Noriko against a wall, a blue fireball in her other hand: "It all ends right here, right now!"

"I don't know what you're… I don't know what you're talking about!" Noriko pleaded.

"OH REALLY MOTHER?! I'VE BEEN IMAGINING ALL OF THIS?! YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TRYING TO TAKE ME DOWN FROM THE MOMENT I WAS BORN?!"

"Azula, let her go!" Zuko commanded.

"STAY BACK, ZUZU, I'm warning you!" Azula snarled, sending him a feral glare.

Then Noriko did something that neither of the siblings expected. She reached out her arm to touch Azula's cheek and told her: "If what you say is true, if I really am your mother, them I'm sorry that I didn't love you enough."

Azula paused a moment, her eyes getting teary. Zuko seized this as an opportunity to intervene and stepped in-between them.

"No!" Azula exclaimed.

"Get away from her!" Zuko ordered.

Azula threw a flaming punch, and Zuko returned with a kick, while Noriko moved out of the way to safety. Zuko and Azula continued to exchange blows until Azula switched over to lightning: "Oh for crying out loud, QUIT MOVING!"

"Don't do it, I already told you that I know how to deal with your lightning, I can redirect it _anywhere_." Zuko replied. He didn't say it lightly, for this time he knew that he would have to throw it right back at her.

"AAAARRRAAAAGGHH!" Azula screamed and she struck at him. Time seemed to slow down for Zuko, as he caught the bolt, and returned fire to Azula, striking her. She lay crumpled against a wall, looking almost defeated, and then she looked up, now almost pleading to him: "Don't you get it Zuko? You and I will finally be free! You of a throne that you never really wanted, and me of that incessant nagging in my head!"

"No, you're wrong." Zuko told her calmly.

"OH STOP KIDDING YOURSELF! The other morning when you had a hold of me, you could've gotten rid of me and this letter at the same time! IT WOULD'VE BEEN SO EASY! Admit it, you need me to help you be free!"

Zuko seized the letter from her and then pulled out the crown: "In my heart I know, I've always known, that the throne is my destiny!" He did up his hair and put on the crown: "Azula, our relationship is so messed up, its been that way for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it will be like that for the rest of our lives… but one fact never changes, you're still my sister."

"

"Shut up." She spoke, defeated. She then got to her feet and stormed off.

"Azula, come back!" Zuko called out. She had no intention of listening, and kept running.

Zuko then cleared his mind, and then rode a bolt of lightning to put himself between Azula and the forest. With his eyes glowing gold, he seized his sister, and pulled her in for an embrace, the first one that he could remember, ever, and then he whispered in her ear: "Please stop this, Azula, I wish to help you. I want you to get better."

Azula started to weep, she was defeated, but for some reason this felt right too: "Same as always, Zuzu, even when you're strong, you're weak."

"No, you're wrong there. There's no weakness in wanting to take a chance on someone, to make someone better."

Azula then looked up and let out a gasp; for up in the sky, she saw the Mother of Faces, Appa, and the Azatar approaching. Now the great spirit even towered above the trees. Aang landed, and as Azula tried to break free, Katara held Azula fast by triggering her Tidal State and held Azula in a Bloodbending grip.

"Human, do you wish to return as you were before, do you wish to remember?" The Mother of Faces asked, looking down at Noriko.

"You don't have to, you have a beautiful life here." Zuko told her, but without much thought, she accepted the Mother of Faces' offer.

"Hold still." The Mother of Faces told her, and she returned Noriko to Ursa, her face slightly aged from before, but still just as beautiful as anyone had remembered it. The Mother of Faces then bade her farewell and departed.

Aang then restrained Azula in an earthen box so Katara could release her Bloodbending grip.

"What are we going to go with her?" Aang asked.

"I hope to rehabilitate her. She'll probably go back to the asylum for a few days, maybe a couple weeks, but I'll make sure that she's treated well, and I'll send a Fire Sage in or Uncle Iroh, to instruct her through meditations. Once she's had some time to cool down and reflect on herself, I'll tell her the teachings of the Sun Warriors way of Firebending, the uncorrupted form of Firebending. If all goes well, then perhaps she will become a Fire Sage."

"Are you sure about that? What if she's a Child of Raava?" Aang asked.

"I don't think that she is. How could someone get so out of balance with just her human spirit that she could support a Child of Raava. No, she takes more after our father's side, she's not like me or Katara." Zuko replied. He turned to Azula's earthen cage and told her: "Rest Azula, hopefully you'll be on the road to recovery soon."

Zuko turned away from her and found his mother looking to him, he approached.

"Zuko, we need to talk." She told him, her eyes distant and a little sad.

Ω £ Ω

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